Taylors Late Bottled Vintage Port | 75 cl

Product Information

A triple gift box of outstanding Taylors port with Tasting notes and a personal message. Includes free postage. Taylor Fladgate's Vintage Ports are renowned for their massive structure and aromatic power, tempered by a characteristic understatement and restraint. The ultimate collector’s Port wines, Vintage Ports will age for decades in the cellar, slowly developing the elegance and harmony which are the hallmarks of a mature Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port. Late bottled vintage ports are of even higher initial quality, and are matured in wood for four or five years.

History has been rather unfair to the 1966s which, until relatively recently, were completely overshadowed by the 1963s. Although quality is not as uniformly high as 1963, 1966 hits many of the same high spots with wines combining concentration, structure and intensity. Although bottlings vary (a consequence of bottling in both Vila Nova de Gaia and in the UK) Dow and Fonseca are stupendous. Best wines

We asked Charles for his tips on choosing the best bottle of port, and explain what we found when we tested supermarket ports. Port is a Portuguese fortified wine often enjoyed alongside a cheese board, after a big meal or simply as a relaxing evening treat. Geosmin is a chemical compound that can give wines and ports an unpleasant, earthy odour, usually the result of using grape crops having been affected by rot.

Read on for our full guide including what the difference is between red and tawny ports, decoding the label, and the best way to serve it for maximum flavour.

Wine Gifts and Occasions

Early tastings tended to play down the overall quality of the 1970s and it is only several decades on that these tight-knit, beautifully balanced wines have come to be judged in their true light. Although not as fine overall as the undeniably impressive 1963s, there are wines from 1970 that deserve to be ranked among the great vintage Ports of the 20th century. This being the last vintage to be bottled both in Portugal and in the UK, there is inevitably a certain amount of variation from bottle to bottle. All subsequent vintages were bottled in Vila Nova de Gaia. Best wines Last summer, Portuguese entrepreneur Mário Ferreira travelled to an altitude of 107 kilometres (66 miles) above mean sea level. Spending more doesn't guarantee a better bottle, as we found when we asked independent wine expert Charles Metcalfe to try a selection of ports in 2021. But it helps to be in the know about what to look for. Taylor's three iconic port wine estates, located in the best parts of the Douro Valley - Terra Feita, Vargellas and Junco - encompass a huge area and various different styles of wine. Each estate is distinct from the others, with different strengths and styles to complement each other brilliantly. It’s partly because of this that the House is rated so highly, often known as the one to beat when it comes to vintage ports; with their iconic blends of the very best from each estate, a bottle of Taylor’s vintage port is always unique and invariably among the best available. It is for this reason that theirs are some of the most sought-after and expensive ports in the world.