TAYLOR

The 2007 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port is a blend of multiple sites meant to express the house style in a great year. It displays a superb aromatic array of pencil lead, Asian spices, incense, blackberry, and floral notes. Dense, suave, and opulent on the palate, this is a mouth-filling, intense, layered wine that has superb grip and concentration. It will effortlessly age for 25+ years and still be delivering pleasure at age 50. As always, Taylor Fladgate is one of the benchmarks of a declared vintage in Oporto. Rating: 95 Jay Miller, www.RobertParker.com (Feb 2010)

Bright, deep ruby. Superripe but youthfully clenched aromas of kirsch, blueberry, black licorice, smoke and minerals. Densely packed, suave and thick; has the texture of liquid velvet but urgent minerality gives it outstanding energy and a light touch. Best today on the slow-building, firmly tannic, spicy, palate-staining finish, which shows more grip and thrust than the Vargellas. This gained in complexity and definition for upwards of 72 hours in the recorked bottle. The Vargellas is an outstanding site expression while this is a great blend-and likely to enjoy a slower evolution in bottle. As usual, this should be among the longest-lived wines of the vintage. Rating: 94(+?) Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Jan 2010)

Remarkably deep in colour, almost to the verge of being opaque. The nose is very well defined but much more introverted than Fonseca – aloof, stentorian, correct. The palate is full-bodied, beautifully defined, great weight that is channelled in one direction. Brilliant focus here, less extrovert than Fonseca of course but more refined and sophisticated. Certainly this is a Taylors for long-term ageing, one can feel it reserving its energy for 20-years down the line. Great backbone here. Very harmonious towards the finish that really caresses the palate, with a hint of white pepper lingering in the mouth. Wonderful. Rating: 97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2009)