Classic Vintage Porto 2003
Trade Tools
Portugal / Douro Valley Porto
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.
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. Winemakers’ 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 young wines.
Tasting Note
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.
Technical Data
GRAPES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca
APPELLATION: Douro Valley Porto
PH: 3.68
ACIDITY: 4.45 g/l
ABV: 20.5%
AGING: Aged for 2 years in large, conditioned French oak vats before bottling. Then aged 20 years in bottle at Taylor Fladgate Estate
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 93.1 g/l
Unique Selling Points
- Aged 20 years in bottle at winery, and will continue to develop for decades
- Taylor's Classic Vintage is one of the most collectible, ageworthy wines in the world
- Made with 100% foot-trodden grapes from our own properties
“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.
