Taylors 2000 Vintage Port
Taylor's - or Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman, as it is quite correctly called - is over 300 years old. Taylor's has produced some of the world's best wines since 1692, and is always at the nice end of the 100-point scale when points are awarded. The grapes for the port wines from Taylor's are grown in the Douro Valley at Taylor's own three vineyards; Quinta de Vargellas, Quinta de Terra Feita and Quinta do Junco. The lands of the three vineyards are all classified in group A, which is the absolute best group. The microclimates on the three farms are very different, and this results in complex and powerful port wines, which are particularly suitable for aging. Taylor's is best known for their Vintage Port, but also makes Tawny, Late Bottled Vintage and White Port, all of which are of extremely high quality. Taylor's has always been a front runner for the development of the port wine industry, and were the first to buy their own fields out in the Douro Valley in 1744, they were the first to make a Single-Quinta Vintage (a Vintage with grapes from only one farm), and were also also those who invented Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) in 1970. Wine writers all over the world are also really excited about Taylor's, and even compare them to some of the biggest wine houses in the world, including Robert Parker, who has compared them to Chateau Latour: "that is reminiscent of a stellar vintage of Chateau Latour".