Classic Vintage Porto 2011
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
Winter was wetter and colder than the 30-year average. After budbreak in mid-March, a warm, wet April prompted growth. In May, dry conditions in the eastern Douro lasted until late August. Vines drew on winter ground water and bunches developed in ideal conditions. Véraison came a bit early. Mild weather in June-July changed with a heat wave in second half of June. August was hot and dry. Late August rain helped to balance ripening. In the Douro Superior, Quinta de Vargellas was the first Taylor Fladgate property to begin harvest. Grapes showed high sugar levels with excellent acidity. In Pinhão Valley, Quinta do Junco, the upper Quinta de Terra Feita, and the lower Terra Feita were picked mid-September. Long fermentations allowed complete extraction; musts displayed intense color and powerful fruit.
Tasting Note
Intricate and fine aromas display classic Taylor elegance and poise. Dense and pure, complex blackberry and cassis fruit shows fragrant violet traces. Resin-like garrigue and subtle notes of of licorice and black coffee emerge. Taut, linear tannins form a framework for fine dark berry flavors which linger into the finish, where tannins re-emerge with an austere note. Textbook Taylor’s: fine aromas and distinctive floral character of Vargellas blends with Terra Feita's dense, dark woodland fruit and herbal scents.
Technical Data
GRAPES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
APPELLATION: Douro
ACIDITY: 4.49 g/L
ABV: 20.0%
AGING: 2 years in neutral oak.
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 96.4 g/L
Unique Selling Points
- Taylor's Classic Vintage Porto is one of the most collectible, ageworthy Portos.
- Massive structure and powerful fruitiness with elegance, poise and finesse.
- Made with 100% foot-trodden grapes, this 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.
