Late Bottled VintageLate Bottled Vintage 2015

Taylor Fladgate continues to lead the LBV category of Port worldwide, in spite of the fact that many other shippers now also produce an LBV. The wines used to blend Taylor Fladgate LBV were drawn from a reserve of some of the best full bodied red Ports, produced at the 2015 harvest, from grapes grown on Taylor’s own vineyards and on other top properties in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior areas.

Tasting Notes

Deep ruby-black core and narrow red rim with purple highlights. The intense and youthful nose displays very fine, complex red and black berry fruit aromas. Ripe strawberry notes and discreet leafy, herbal scents are suffused in a powerful redolence of dark brambly woodland fruit and blackcurrant jam. As is typical of Taylor Fladgate, the nose is beautifully delineated with very fine, focused fruit.

The palate has impressive density and vigour, with thick, mouth filling tannins providing both structure and body. Luscious berry fruit flavours linger into the long finish. As usual, this LBV shares the pedigree of the great Taylor vintage ports but is made in an approachable style, ready for drinking now by the glass.

Notes on the Viticultural Year and Harvest

The winter period was extremely dry. Moreover, the rainfall during the growing season was also well below average, bringing little relief from the dry conditions. The temperatures between April and June were higher than normal, with average daily temperatures 1.6ºC higher compared with the 10-year average and temperatures above 40ºC recorded on several days in the last week of June and early July. Véraison came particularly early in 2015 across the Douro region, starting in the week of the 29th June, and set the scene for what was to be an early harvest.

Although August continued dry, weather conditions were much milder, without any heatwaves, and as a result the bunches were very well preserved. Picking started on the between 7th-12th of September, with warm days and cool nights allowing for good long fermentations. Harvest continued to make very fine Ports right up to the end of the harvest on the 3rd October.