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Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2018

The range of Ports offered by Taylor’s is exemplary, ranging from accessible and affordable bottles such as the First Reserve and the Late Bottled Vintage, featured here, right up to their Vintage Port in declared years, and the frequently fine Quinta de Vargellas and rarer Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha bottlings. These latter two, as the name indicates, are sourced from the flagship Taylor’s estate, the Quinta de Vargellas.

Today the Quinta de Vargellas sits overlooking the broad and peaceful waters of the Douro, but the river was not always so sleepy. During the 19th and early years of the 20th century flash floods would on occasion sweep down the river, engulfing all that lay before them. Riverside quays would be swamped, cellars submerged, and anything that was not firmly nailed down risked being carried downriver and out to sea. During one notable flood in 1909 barrels of Port were swept up in this manner, and were subsequently found washed up on the shoreline 60 kilometres north of the mouth of the Douro. Apparently still full of wine.

During the 1950s a programme of dam-building began on the Douro, primarily to generate hydroelectric electricity, but this also controlled the flow of water. The wild river was tamed, and what was once an intermittently raging torrent was transformed into a peaceful series of misty lakes joined by languid rivers. While this signalled the end of the transport of goods (including barrels of Port) by the traditional flat-bottomed barco rabelo, it did at least mean those barrels stored in riverside cellars stayed there, rather than ending up as flotsam on one of Portugal’s Atlantic beaches.

Taylor's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2018

While some will no doubt lament the passing in the old ways, the fever of dam construction ultimately led to the preservation of the region’s vineyards. This came about when, having built five dams along the course of the Douro, plans for a sixth were drawn up on the Côa, a tributary of the Douro. Construction was already underway in 1995 when archaeologists discovered ancient rock carvings along the banks of the river, with more nearby along the banks of the Agueda in Spain. Realising that this was an unparalleled collection of Palaeolithic art, between 10,000 and 24,000 years of age, calls for construction to be halted became louder and louder until, after a change in government, the building of the dam was brought to a halt.

Almost immediately the site was declared an archaeological park, but in 1998 it also gained the protection of UNESCO when it was declared a World Heritage Site. This presumably gave those seeking to protect the region’s vineyards an idea, as in 2001 a second and much more extensive World Heritage Site was established downstream, encompassing the vineyards (many rich in ancient terraces) along the banks of the Douro. The designated area runs all the way from Quinta to Vale Meão, encompassing Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas, to Mesão Frio, above the Porto district. And thus today the Taylor’s vineyards – not to mention their many neighbours along this 80-kilometre stretch of the Douro and its tributaries – are protected.

While there are cheaper entry-points to the Taylor’s range, the Late Bottled Vintage is where I recommend starting; primarily because the level of quality is high, but also because of Taylor’s long history with this style, having done much to popularise it during the 1960s and 1970s (building upon its initial development by Quinta do Noval). It is not the grandest of Ports, of course, but it is a style that often gives immediate and accessible pleasure, and in terms of value-for-money it wins hands down. Shop around and you can still find the 2018 Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage Port at discounted prices so low you can still afford to buy that large wedge of stilton you had your eye on, or maybe a cheap air fare to Portugal, where you could visit the Douro and see its UNESCO-protected vineyards for yourself.

In the glass the 2018 Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage Port presents a dark and glossy hue, which maintains this concentration right out to its then but vibrant crimson rim. It has a bright and perfumed nose, one scented with black cherry, dark chocolate, rose petals and even white peach, with nuances of orange peel, tar and spiced plum. The palate is polished and coherent, with sweet layers of blackberry, spice and tar, beautiful sweetness and a superb sense of energy, finishing up with a rich wrapping of powdery tannin set perfectly within the silky substance. This is a fine example of the Late Bottled Vintage style, and while it does not quite have the cut and grace of the 2017 vintage, this still receives a hearty thumbs up from me. The alcohol on the label is 20%. 92/100 (3/1/24)

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