Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Porto 2009

Overview / 2017 / 2011 / 2009

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Portugal / Douro Valley Porto

Quinta de Vargellas, celebrated as one of the top 100 vineyards in the world, has been part of the Taylor Fladgate estate for more than a century. It has the highest percentage of old vines of any quinta in the Douro, with 60% over 75 years old. For Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha Vintage Porto, grapes are harvested from the oldest plot of the vineyard, which yields a Vinha Velha (old vine) intensity. And unlike most single-quinta vintage wines, Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha is made in years in which a general vintage is declared. 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.

96 Points

Wine Advocate

2009 vintage

92 Points

International Wine Cellar

2009 vintage

View all press reviews

Harvest Note

2009 will be remembered as a year of very low yields. This was due to the very dry ripening season and low numbers of bunches on the vines. All vine varieties showed low fertility, although the vegetation was healthy and vigorous. The ripening season started with relatively cool weather that continued throughout July, but in August this turned to intense heat. From July right through to the harvest in September, there was almost no rain. These hot, arid conditions produced concentrated musts, rich in color, tannins and sugar, and by early September the grapes had reached phenolic maturity. An early start to the harvest on the Taylor Fladgate estates ensured that the wines had a good acid balance and avoided over-ripeness. Picking started on September 12 at Vargellas.

Tasting Note

The wine is inky black with a purple rim. The nose opens on intensely concentrated black fruit laced with date and prune. Around this dense, fruity core, with its attractive minerality, are scents of wild herbs. Supported by a tight wrap of thick tannins, the palate explodes with concentrated ripe and dried black fruit flavors. This wine manages to combine the massive structure and powerful fruitiness of the 2009 harvest with elegance, poise and finesse.

Technical Data

GRAPES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela

APPELLATION: Douro

ACIDITY: 4.74 g/l

ABV: 20%

AGING: 2 years in neutral oak

RESIDUAL SUGAR: 98.2 g/l

Unique Selling Points

A single-quinta vintage Porto from the oldest vines in one of the most revered vineyards in the world: Quinta de Vargellas
Taylor Fladgate vintage Porto is one of the most collectible, ageworthy Portos available.
Combines the massive structure and powerful fruitiness of the 2009 harvest with elegance, poise and finesse
100% foot-trodden
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.