Classic Vintage Porto 2003
Trade Tools
Portugal / Douro Valley Porto
Taylor Fladgate owns three great vineyards in the Douro, Quinta de Vargellas, Quinta de Terra Feita and Junco. Categorized as grade A - the highest possible rating. In years when Taylor Fladgate produces a classic vintage, wines from these estates are blended together. As they are some distance apart, and subject to very different microclimates, they combine to produce a powerful, long lived and complex vintage port.
Harvest Note
The Winter preceding the 2003 harvest was very wet. Flowering took place in bright warm weather at the end of May in some of the best conditions seen for several years. The first two weeks of August provided the intense summer heat which often precedes a great port vintage. The second half of August was cooler and two days of rain occurred with perfect timing, ripening off the grapes at the end of the month. The picking season in September was warm and dry and the yields were even across all grape varieties, ensuring balance and complexity in the wines. Winemarkers' notes highlight the very intense color and large amount of tannin released by the skins during fermentation, as well as the powerful fruitiness of the wines.
Tasting Note
Inky purple black with narrow magenta rim. Classic Taylor nose, with exotic floral scents and violet set against a background of intense, dark berry fruit. A stylish and racy palate, displaying tightly packed tannins and concentrated grape flavors which intensify through a seemingly endless finish. Like many other great Taylor Fladgate vintage ports, this wine is an archetype of power and elegance.
Technical Data
GRAPES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca
APPELLATION: Douro Valley Porto
PH: 3.68
ACIDITY: 4.7 g/l
ABV: 20.6%
AGING: Aged for two years in oak, and has been aged in bottle for 20 years at the winery
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 93.1 g/l
Unique Selling Points
- Taylor's Classic Vintage is one of the most collectible, ageworthy wines in the world
- Characteristically elegant and poised, underpinned by superbly integrated tannins
- Made with 100% foot-trodden grapes from our own properties
- This wine will develop for decades in the bottle
“Traditional foot treading provides a clear quality edge, providing just the right level of extraction. Our policy of co-fermenting the traditional grape varieties is also key to producing balanced and complex wines.”
David Guimaraens, Winemaker
About the Grape
Tinta Amarela
Tinta Amarela makes wines with intensely perfumed aromas of blackberry and tea, bold structure, deep color and excellent depth.
Tinta Barroca
Used to make Port wines, this high yielding grape has very high sugar content, which makes wines with pronounced floral character, good structure and firm, ripe tannins.
Tinta Cão
This grape has blackberry, game and meaty aromas, and contributes longevity and exceptional elegance to the blend of Port wines.
Tinta Roriz
Tinta Roriz produces deep-colored grapes of moderate acidity which make bold wines with firm tannins, excellent complexity and distinctive resin-like fragrance.
Touriga Franca
This grape has high tannins and is very aromatic; it lends structure and balance to Port wines. It shows intense fresh red fruit, earth and flower aromas, and is very fruity on the palate.
Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional produces wine with finesse, body and warmth that is dark, concentrated, massively tannic and aromatic. It ages to show the complex aromas typically found in mature vintage port.
