Home > Producer Profiles > Portuguese Profiles > Taylor's
Taylor's
As is the case with many Port houses, the early history of Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman does not concern anyone that went by any of the names we today associate with the company. Here the story begins in 1692 with Job Bearsley, who had set up in Viano do Castelo, a port lying at the mouth of the Rio Lima in 1670. The Bearsley family were general traders, dealing significantly in wool, a product commonly exported from England to Portugal. The company's symbol, 4XX, which today still graces the Taylor's bottles, is central to the Taylor's emblem, and which may still be found engraved into the walls of the Casa dos Alambiques, acquired by the family in 1744, was a wool mark of the time.
Although it is likely that the family traded in Port, which was usually
loaded onto ships for the return journey to England, it was Job's son, Peter,
that was instrumental in developing this aspect of their business. It was he who
moved the business from Viano do Castelo to Oporto, the heart of the Port trade.
By 1709 he was shipping significant amounts of Port, and he is widely regarded as
the first Englishmen to explore the upper reaches of the Douro, a harsh and
remote terrain to which access was extremely difficult, in search of wine for
export. At about this time the Bearsley family also acquired the aforementioned Casa dos Alambiques in Salgueiral, downstream from
Régua, a property which today remains in the ownership of
Taylor's.
Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman
At the end of the 18th Century the Bearsleys left the business, and many unfamiliar names - Webb, Sandford, Grey, Camo - had their turn at the head of the business before there was any sign of a Taylor. This was in 1816, when Joseph Taylor joined the company, which then went by the name of Campbell Bowden & Taylor. By 1826 the names of Campbell and Bowden had gone the way of Web, Sandford and the others, and the business was undisputedly Taylor's. With the arrival of John Fladgate who joined in 1837, and Morgan Yeatman who joined in 1844, the company of Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman - today commonly abbreviated to Taylor's - was born.
Taylor's was the first British firm to purchase vineyards in the Douro Valley, and one of the most significant purchases was Quinta da Roêda in 1844. This was subsequently acquired by Croft in 1875 as a dowry when John Fladgate's daughter married, but there was a suitable replacement found in 1893 in the shape of Quinta de Vargellas, a name which is today readily identifiable with Taylor's and which is a major contributor to the Vintage Port in declared years. In more recent years, Quinta de Terra Feita has also been added to the portfolio; in some undeclared vintages both can be found marketed as single-quinta Vintage Ports.
Through the 20th Century it was the Yeatman family that remained at the helm, particularly Dick Yeatman, until his death in 1966. By this time Taylor's had acquired Fonseca Guimaraens, a name still associated with the firm today. Dicl Yeatman was succeeded by his widow, Beryl, and nephew, Alistair Robertson, and it was about this time that they added a new wine to their range, the Vintage Reserve. This was the birth of a new style - Late Bottled Vintage - regulations for which were soon drawn up by Port's governing body, the 1965 Taylor's LBV was the first such wine to be released.
In the
years that followed Taylor's went from strength to strength, and scored another
first with the introduction of the single-quinta wines - starting with the
aforementioned Quinta de Vargellas. Today the company continues to enjoy success
under the management of Adrian Bridge, and it is David Guimaraens that oversees
winemaking, no doubt an immense responsibility considering the stocks and range
under his control. The portfolio of properties includes winemaking, research and
development facilities at Casa dos Alambiques, Quinta de Vargellas and Quinta da
Nogueira, where you are just as likely to find mechanical Port-Toes,
piston-driven devices for treading the grapes in a fashion intended to mimic the
action of the human foot, as you are the traditional stone lagares where the
foot proper can do its work.
The Taylor's Quintas
Over three hundred years on from its inception, the Port house of Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman is regularly responsible for one of the top wines of any declared vintage, but like many Port houses also produces a range of other wines. Of particular interest are the aforementioned single-quinta wines, and these are worthy of further inspection.
Quinta de Vargellas in the Douro Superior is the true heart of Taylor's, although it is not the largest estate. Nevertheless, served by its own railway, it has been a central pivot around which the Taylor's business has revolved for over a century now. The vineyard was once in three portions; the upper part, once known as Quinta do Vale, belonged to Dona Antònia Ferreria. Lower down was the Quinta de Vargellas-do-Meio which was owned by Carvalhos, whilst the section closest to the river belonged to Antonio Brito e Cunha. During the late 19th Century all three parts seem to have been brought together, and they were acquired by Taylor's in 1893. Having been devastated by phylloxera the vineyard was in a sorry state, and at the time of purchase it yielded only six pipes (each pipe is 550 litres) of Port, but by the great 1912 vintage this had increased to 100 pipes, one-third of the Vintage Port bottled by Taylor's that year, and today 245 pipes is the norm. In declared years the fruit of Quinta de Vargellas forms the backbone of the vintage wine, but if the vintage passes undeclared the produce of this quinta is vinified and bottled separately, a practice kickstarted by Taylor's with the 1958 vintage. In some years quality can be excellent, and will rival the vintage wine from many other houses, but in other years the end result can be much less successful.
The Vargellas vineyard is dominated by the traditional Port varieties of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca and Tinta Roriz, each accounting for about one-quarter, with the remainder a mix of vines including Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela and others. In 1999 the vineyard was augmented with the acquisition of neighbouring Quinta de Sao Xisto, adding another 46 hectares which will be absorbed into Quinta de Vargellas but has first undergone extensive replanting.
The next most notable property is Quinta de Terra Feita, in the Pinhão Valley in the Cima Corgo region. At 48 hectares this vineyard is considerably larger than that at Vargellas, and like that vineyard the wine here constitutes a major part of the Vintage Port or is bottled as a single-quinta, depending on the declaration of the vintage. Terra Feita has long contributed to the wines of Taylor's, although the company only purchased the asset as recently as 1974. Today it contributes more than 230 pipes of wine per annum, from a vineyard dominated by Touriga Francesca and Tinta Roriz, with less Touriga Nacional than is found in Vargellas.
Finally in this brief round-up of the top quintas comes the Quinta do Junco, which was acquired in 1998. This is another Pinhão property, situated close to Terra Feita, with 48 hectares of vines, some of which are planted in vertical rows rather than on the traditional terraces. Here, again, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca and Tinta Roriz are the dominant varieties.
Taylor's produce a wide range of wines, perhaps not surprising when the firm seems to have been at the forefront of developing so many of the styles. The Tawny Ports can be very good indeed, and there is an archetypal Late Bottled Vintage. Good value can also be found in the shape of the reserve-style Ruby Port which goes by the name of First Estate Reserve. These wines are Taylor's entry-level products, and frequently when I have the opportunity to taste them I am reminded what good value, worthy introductions to the Taylor's style, and to Port in general, that they make. (2/7/03, updated 1/5/08)
Contact details:
Address: Rua do Choupelo 250, 4400-088 Vila Nova de Gaia
Telephone: +351 22 374 2800
Fax: +351 22 374 2899
Internet: www.taylor.pt
Taylor's Port - Tasting Notes
Click
to locate stockists:
Taylor's Vintage Port 2003:
Lovely nose, with a typical Taylor's feminine, elegant style, alongside dark
fruits and beetroot notes. Concentration here, but with finesse. A slightly raw
edge to the tannins, but with good firm acids, and a feminine fruit style. Has
the style, and the structure to go the distance. Good potential. From a
2003 Vintage Port
assessment. 18+/20 (May 2005)
Taylor's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2002: A deep colour. On the nose, notes of
sandalwood, figs, spices and white chocolate. Rather stylish palate I think,
showing a good weight, with lots of spice and structure. A feral, interesting
flavour profile. Lots of grip at the
finish too. Overall, being critical, it is a touch reserved and lean, but it is
good, and for a less than exalted vintage I think this is a success. From a
Port Styles tasting. 16+/20
(November 2007)
Taylor's LBV Port 2000:
A deeply coloured, black-purple wine. A huge presence of fruit on the nose;
raspberries, damsons, blueberries, plums and even juniper berries. Lovely.
Smoothly integrated on entry, with a firm, very masculine midpalate. Tannic,
showing plenty of grippy structure, with dense, ripe fruit. Nicely balanced
acidity giving a fresh impression in the palate, with lovely texture. Very good
for a straight LBV. Drink now. 16.5/20 (October 2005)
Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1998:
Very typical Taylor's style on the nose, rather reserved, spicy and stylish
fruit. Gentle, and a lovely silkiness to at the start. Fine fruit, very stylish
composition. Appropriate grip and texture. Lots of tannin evident on a second
taste. This is rather good. From a
Port Styles tasting. 16.5-17+/20 (November 2007)
Taylor's Late Bottled Vintage Port 1997: A deep, inky colour. Lovely aromas on the
nose, dominated by macerated black fruits with a vegetal edge, and white
pepper. Rich, sweet and weighty on entry, and yet very fluid despite the
richness. Nicely balanced, with ripe tannins, plenty of well integrated
alcohol and piles of sweet, toasty, peppery black fruits. This is a very good
example indeed of how LBV Port should be - helped no doubt by the success of
the 1997 vintage. Rich, sweet and structured finish. Like the First Estate
Reserve, great value for money. 17/20 (July 2003)
Taylor's Quinta de Terra Feita Vintage Port 1996:
Rather reserved and quiet on the nose, not so expressive as some of the other
wines tasted alongside. The palate is fat and yet has a suppleness also, with a
nice seam of tannin running through it. Fine acidity backs it up. A good style.
This has potential, and could be very good indeed. From a
Port Styles tasting. 16.5+/20 (November 2007)
Taylor's LBV Port 1996: A more austere and
restrained nose here. A good balance has been achieved on
the palate, with correct tannins and acidity underlying
good fruit, with some leather and spice complexity. Very
easy to drink. From a
Majestic press tasting.
15.5/20 (November 2001)
Taylor's LBV Port 1992: A deep purple-black colour,
with a little slight fading to orange-pink at the rim.
Black fruits on the nose, and searing alcohol. Little
complexity. On the palate it has a rich, mouth-filling
texture. Quite soft tannins, black fruit, pepper, figs
and spice. Quite good length, overall pleasant although
not stunning.
15.5/20 (August 2000)
Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1988: The colour here shows maturity, with a
brick-red/earthy tinge to what is otherwise a vibrantly coloured wine. On the
nose it is classic - alongside the alcohol there are molasses and macerated black
fruits. Being kind, it is a fairly well textured wine on the palate, which is quite developed.
Backing this up there is plenty of alcohol, an array of spicy-fruity notes,
peppery acidity and still some tannin. This isn't the richest or most
balanced of wines. There's a burnt, pruny edge, probably a result of the heatwave of 1988, which followed a period of damp, mildew and
coulure
(failure of the fruit to set after flowering). This wine reflects both these
aspects of the vintage. It has a firm, tannic
structure alongside what I suspect is a rapidly maturing flavour profile. For current drinking.
15/20 (July 2003)
Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1987: This has a great
colour, still very dense and dark. On the nose there are notes of dried fruit,
dried blueberries, juniper berries with a little smoke. This is very nice and
certainly has a lot of style. The palate is rich, refined, firm and structured,
with a firm backbone of alcohol beneath a creamy midpalate. Reserved yet
flavoursome, with more of those juniper berry notes and a deliciously sweet but
precisely presented texture, this wine is really coming round very nicely. Fine
and balanced, a pleasure to drink. 17.5/20 (March 2007)
Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1987: A real contrast here,
as this wine still has the dense red vibrancy of youth, with a purple-black
intensity. This impressive colour is matched on the nose, which offers complex
aromas of coffee, sweet black fruits and oil of oranges, tinged with caramel,
molasses and a vegetal note so typical of Taylor's. On the palate it is
smooth, textured, with good extract and alcohol, and behind it all appropriate
acidity. Good length and warm, spirity alcohol on the finish. This was a successful
vintage for Taylor's, as it was for many Port houses, although considering all
producers the quality of 1987 Port is patchy. It was not declared mainly
because of the small crop. Immensely preferable to the 1988.
18/20 (July 2003)
Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1987: Austere, plummy, cigar box fruit on the nose, with some sweet
molasses sugar. Develops some vegetal notes after a
period of aeration. Rich and sweet palate, with more
molasses and plums. Tingling alcohol and a good texture.
Firm tannins and good acidity suggest this has potential
for future development. 18/20 (Apriil 2001)
Taylor's Vintage Port 1985: A paler hue than the Dow's 1985
above. Typical for Taylor's I think. Notes of woodspice and pepper, very
slightly spirity. Nevertheless, a delicious texture on entry, supple and
stylish, although with a very firm weight, firm tannins and good acids. Again
this is fine to drink now, although it still holds some potential now. Very good
indeed, bordering on excellent. From a
Port Styles tasting. 17.5+/20 (November 2007)
Taylor's Vintage Port 1985: Also has a
good intensity of colour, with more impressive thick,
oily legs. The nose has rich black fruit with spice and a
hint of cigar-box. A smooth, rich palate, with good fruit
and obvious alcohol, which retains a fiery presence.
Finishes well. Still needs time. From a
1985 Vintage Port blind
tasting. 17/20 (October 2000)
Taylor's Vintage Port 1983: This is quite a pale colour for vintage
Port, with a red,
raspberry tinge to it. On the nose it seems quite delicate and pretty, with
some red fruits. On the palate, however, it demonstrates more power, with a
strong spicy character, firm acidity, plenty of tannin through the mid- and
end-palate, together with a lush richness of fruit. A sweet, lingering finish. Drinking
well now, but will easily go another ten years. This was a very good vintage for
Taylor's. From a 1983 Vintage
Port blind tasting. 18/20 (July 2003)
Taylor's Vintage Port 1970: On first opening it, this wine gave off some wonderfully sweet and complex
aromas, very reminiscent of roasted meats, with a savoury-sweet, chargrilled
note. This sweet, meaty, aroma stayed with the wine over the three days, with
little touches of caramel. But it also showed some impressively persistent
fruit, notes of gently macerated cherry and plum, with pepper and nutmeg spices.
The palate doesn't disappoint after such a promising nose; most importantly it
has a balanced, harmonious composition, where every component just seems to be
present to just the right degree. It starts off with a very fresh, fluid
presence, deliciously gentle and detached, before building both in grip and in
backbone through the midpalate. It shows some firm alcohol on the finish, but
with a creamy weight, plentiful fruit complexity and some chalky tannins which
suggest to me that this wine will continue to improve in the cellar. And the
length? It is very pleasing. Not, surprisingly, remarkably long, fading with
little ceremony, but it does linger for a little while. Overall, a super wine
which should drink well for a decade at least, and perhaps much longer than
that. A great bottle. For label images and more see my
Wine of the Week write-up. 19+/20 (March 2007)
Taylor's Vintage Port 1912:
Here the capsule reveals this to be of the 1912, although the shipper is
unknown, until the cork is pulled at least. This reveals it to be Taylor's,
generally regarded as one of the best wines from an exceptionally good vintage.
The wine has a gorgeous, orange caramel colour, and the nose is delightful, with
reserved, figgy, floral, really rather stylish characteristics. On the palate,
there is a lovely, creamy, rounded structure with a complete presence on the
palate. Really very good indeed, and certainly the leading wine in this setting.
From a tasting of Ancient
Port.
17/20 (October 2006)
Tasting notes are ordered by date of tasting, most recent first. I have tried to indicate whether it is a tasting of a new release, or of a wine I have cellared.
Taylor's Ten Year Old Tawny NV: Current release. A nice tawny, brick red hue. Good fruit on
the nose for a tawny, too. The palate has a surprisingly full presence, it is
almost a little creamy. Certainly it has a fuller style than many wines of a
similar style shown here.
A good substance, with lovely firm fruit, tannin and grip. Lots of impact.
This has a punchy style. I like it. From a
Port Styles tasting. 16.5/20 (November 2007)
Taylor's Twenty Year Old Tawny NV:
Current release. This is much more traditional in style than the ten-year old, although it still
has a pink tinge to the otherwise tawny hue. An appealing mix of gentle fruit on
the palate. Really very silky on entry, but still carrying a good flesh and
weight. A gentle midpalate grip and a lovely backbone. Meaty finish. Great
length. This really does have fine style. From a
Port Styles tasting. 17+/20 (November 2007)
Taylor's Thirty Year Old Tawny NV: Current release. This wine has a much richer hue apparent,
showing a tawny-toasty brown. Very mature in style on the nose, and on the
palate it is dry, grippy, with a gentle texture, and a nutty, baked earth
character. This is very stylish indeed. Nevertheless, although nicely composed,
it has a quality very close to that of the twenty-year old. From a
Port Styles tasting. 17+/20 (November
2007)
Taylor's First Estate Reserve Port NV: Current release. Great colour, a dark, almost inky,
deep-red wine. A good, interesting nose, which has an abundance of dark fruits,
with obvious vegetal notes and some molasses. Clean and characterful. Good
weight immediately apparent on entry, a touch creamy through the midpalate. A
lovely texture, with structure enough beneath, and just a flash of tannins on the
finish. This is lovely quaffing Port, and fantastic value for money. 15/20 (July 2003)
Taylor's Ten Year Old Tawny Port NV: Current release. A beautiful colour, at first seeming to be
pale golden brown, but then showing warmer tones of caramel and red. Aromas of
chocolate-coated nuts and raisins on the nose. Rich and balanced on the
palate, which has warming alcohol and spicy, zippy acidity. More caramel and nut
character, with a somewhat woody edge. Quite textured, with a velvety
nuance. 16/20 (July 2003)
Taylor's First Estate Reserve Port NV: Current release. A leathery and molasses nose. Soft
and warm on the palate, with black fruits and sweet
molasses again. A touch angular, but has a nice fatness
to the texture. From a
Majestic press tasting.
15/20 (November 2001)
Home - Site index - Site updated May 15, 2008 - © The Winedoctor 2000 - 2008 - Wine Scores - RSS
