Taylor Fladgate - Vintage Porto 2003 (750ml)
Price: $159.99
| Producer | Taylor Fladgate |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Douro |
| Subregion | Oporto |
| Varietal | Port Blend |
| Vintage | 2003 |
| Sku | 6293 |
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Inky purple black with narrow magenta rim. Classic Taylor nose, with exotic and floral scents like violet set against an impenetrable background of intense dark berry fruit. Stylish and racy palate, displaying a tight fabric of tannins and packed with concentrated grapey flavors which intensify through the seemingly endless finish. Like many other great Taylor Fladgate vintage this wine is an archetype of restrained power, its elegance concealing massive inner strength and stamina.
Taylor Fladgate Description
Produced only in exceptional vintages worthy of a vintage Porto declaration, Taylor Fladgate Classic Vintage Porto comes from the finest estate vineyards: Quinta de Vargellas, celebrated as one of the top 100 vineyards in the world, Quinta de Terra Feita and Quinta de Junco. All grapes undergo the traditional foot treading method, ensuring their fullest expression. Fermentation is halted by the addition of grape spirits before all the residual sugar has been fermented, creating a sweet, fortified wine. Following two years in wood, the wines are bottled unfiltered and will continue maturing for decades.
Wine Enthusiast: 97 Points
Inky purple in color, this youngest Taylor vintage Port boasts a floral, wonderfully open and appealing bouquet, backed by layers of rich fruit. What makes this wine extra special is the seductive texture—somewhere between creamy and syrupy—and ample length
Wine Advocate: 96 Points
The 2003 Vintage Port is a field blend aged for approximately 21 months in oak vats. It comes in with 93 grams of residual sugar. This oldie will be rereleased soon. As much as the Fladgate Group's 2003 oldies in this report all have bragging points, this is Taylor's, and the structure takes the lead for all of them. Still a wee bit tight, this is far younger than the Croft, not fully mature or at peak and classic Taylor's. The remaining tannins support the fruit perfectly, but nothing to me is better here than the flavor profile. This is a fine Taylor's, still with plenty of room to evolve and improve. It could actually use a few more years, not to tame the tannins, but to acquire more maturity. Of the three (including Croft and Fonseca), this is the winner, but the Fonseca shows better today and the Croft seems to be at peak. So, cellar this a bit more and drink the others now.
Wine Spectator: 94 Points
Lovely aromas of currants, blackberries and licorice. Full-bodied, with medium sweetness and layers of ripe, round, velvety tannins. Flavorful finish. More round and refined than from barrel.
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