Taylor Fladgate declares 2018 Vintage Port
Taylor Fladgate has announced that it will release a classic Vintage Port from the 2018 harvest. According to house custom, the declaration is made on 23rd April. Comments on the Taylor Fladgate 2018 Vintage Port are as follows:
Adrian Bridge, Managing Director
“Although a Classic declaration normally only happens about three times a decade, the exceptional run of years has meant that Taylor Fladgate has been able to make a third in a row. This is very unusual but our principle is that we declare a Classic Vintage when the quality is there. This is dictated by the year, not by any other consideration. All our properties are farmed so that every grape has the potential to become Vintage Port. In 2018, overall conditions were excellent but in the Douro Superior they were exceptional. Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas produced outstanding wines. In view of the current economic situation, we will bottle in July as usual but will not release the wine until early 2021”.
David Guimaraens, Head Wine Maker
“The 2018 viticultural cycle had a challenging start but, as the harvest drew nearer, the conditions for making outstanding Vintage Port all fell into place. This was particularly true of the Douro Superior, which enjoyed the combination of intense summer heat and abundant ground water which often produces great Vintage Port. It gave us the excellent phenolic maturity typical of a hot ripening season but the elegance and fresh acidity we normally associate with cooler years. What stands out in the Taylor Fladgate 2018 are its impressive, linear tannins, its depth of aroma and its wonderfully complex multi-layered fruit.”