Classic Vintage1997

After the snowfalls on the 7th January, the Winter and the Spring of the year 1997 were warm and dry. The higher than normal temperatures brought on early bud burst and the berry set for all the vineyards was good. From flowering up to September there were frequent rain showers which meant that the initial advance to the season was lost to a more gradual ripening period.

The weather during the harvest was extremely hot, as a result the fermentation temperatures were high and an extra effort was required to prolong the fermentations. The high quality was evident in the Port wines from the start, with the intensity of the must, good integration of the spirit and powerful, attractive aromas.

TASTING NOTES

Black purple; opaque. Dense, tight, rich full fruit nose. Cedar and dark berry aromas. A big, full bodied wine with great finesse and style. Great character and potential.

ACCOLADES

Saturated black/purple colored, with stunning aromatics of blueberries, licorice and iron, this is one of the stars of the vintage. Extremely full...

09-01-2000 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Taylor delivers finesse again. This fine and silky young vintage Port has berry, cherry and wet earth character. Full bodied, with integrated...

James Suckling, Wine Spectator

Juicy and energetic, with lots of warm raisin, toffee and toasted peanut notes, mixed with mulled fig, singed juniper and baked plum flavors. Has a...

Score: 94

James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator

A deep black inky core with deep ruby rim. The nose dose not have the definition or the ripeness of the ’92 yet it is cut from the same cloth....

Score: 97

Neal Martin, erobertparker.com