VVOP - Very Very Old Port

A masterpiece of cask ageing.

Taylor Fladgate VVOP

The VVOP is the latest in a series of limited releases of very fine and rare Ports drawn from Taylor Fladgate’s treasury of very very old cask-aged reserves. This unique blend is one of the oldest wines released to date. It is made from a selection of rare lots matured in wood in Taylor Fladgate’s cellars, some of which have been quietly concentrating to a magical quintessence since before the Second World War.

It represents the legacy of ancestral knowledge passed down from one generation to the next: the skill of Taylor Fladgate practiced team of coopers, who crafted the casks and maintained them over the years; the expertise of the cellar masters, who cared for the wine during its decades in the cellar and the art of the blenders who have given the VVOP its exceptional balance and finesse.

The sublime, complex character of Taylor Fladgate VVOP was born of a magical interaction with the oak casks, in which the wine has been nurtured over many decades of ageing in the company’s cellars.

About the bottle

The Taylor Fladgate VVOP will be presented in a bespoke decanter and an elegant luxury wooden case.

Taylor Fladgate VVOP - Very Very Old Port

Decanter and wooden case

Taylor Fladgate VVOP - Very Very Old Port

Decanter and wooden case

Tasting Notes

Deep chestnut brown at the centre gradually fading to amber and a narrow edge of pale straw at the rim. The age of this magical Port is immediately evident. It represents the pinnacle of what long wood ageing can achieve particularly when skilful blending provides additional definition and symmetry. The wine has the precision and intricacy of a watch movement, all its complex elements working together in harmony. The nose is intense but finely constituted and the aromas remarkably delicate and ethereal given its great age.

Undertones of butterscotch, dried figs and freshly ground coffee intermingle with marzipan and sultana to give the wine an opulent, plum pudding character but this remains discreetly in the background and is lifted by fresh notes of orange peel and apricot. Hints of vanilla, cedar wood and cinnamon provide a subtle spicy redolence. On the palate the wine has a light touch displaying bright acidity and perfect balance but holds massive reserves of aroma which emerge on the long finish in a seemingly endless mellow surge. Very few Ports retain such balance and finesse after so many years maturing in cask.

Taylor Fladgate VVOP - Very Very Old Port

- More Information

Taylor Fladgate VVOP is best served after a meal, slowly treasured as a dessert in its own right. However, given the wine’s incredible freshness, bright acidity and concentration it will also combine beautifully with the flavours of figs, almonds and caramel. A decadent crème brûlée or even some wild strawberries.