Taylor's Late Bottled Vintage 2019

€ 20.10

Deep ruby red with vivid purple highlights on the rim. The first impression is of intense woodland fruit with crisp brambly blackcurrant and blackberry aromas. The nose has a youthful freshness and vigour, the first burst of powerful, black berry fruit slowly revealing undertones of raspberry and cherry, scents of wild herbs and discreet warmer notes of liquorice and coffee. Although the aromas have a sensuous dimension, this elegant and polished LBV displays the characteristic Taylor definition and restraint. The palate is supported by taut, sinewy but perfectly integrated tannins and delivers a surge of powerful woodland berry flavours from the outset which are sustained into the long finish. The character of the 2019 harvest, with its freshness and pure, bright fruit, shines through on this wine. As usual, this LBV shares the precision and elegance of the great Taylor Vintage Ports in a more approachable and early drinking style.

Taylor’s 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’s 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.

Food-Pairing

This port is delicious with foie gras, certain cheeses (Gorgonzola, Roquefort), as an aperitif or as dessert wine

Great with walnuts, blue veined and other richly flavoured cheeses are excellent accompaniments to vintage port; so too are dried fruits such as apricots or figs.

Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Amarela, Alicante Bouschet, Sousão, -

After a warm and dry period of dormancy, the vineyard cycle began slightly early with budburst on 9th March, about a week ahead of the usual calendar. Overall, the growing season was drier and cooler than average although the usual April rains were quite heavy, with around 98 mm of precipitation as the grapes began to colour (véraison) at around the usual time in mid-July. Although the ripening season began with high temperatures, the weather in the critical month of August was cooler than average with some rainfall on 25th and 26th to balance the ripening of the crop.

The relatively cool conditions and absence of peaks of high temperature have translated into the elegance, crisp acidity and ‘singing’ fruit that we find in the 2019 wines. Harvesting of red grapes in the eastern areas of the Douro began in hot weather on 4th September and at Pinhão on 14th. The crop was perfectly healthy and in excellent condition, although yields were almost a tenth lower than the 10-year average. The wines were attractively aromatic, with a high natural acidity and greater than normal colour intensity.

Alcohol content

19,5 %vol

Store & Serve

Serve at 16 °C. Ready to drink and does not require decanting.

The bottle should be kept upright, protected from direct sun light and at a cool and constant temperature. Optimum drinking time after opening the bottle is two months.

Critics & Awards

17/20 - Grandes Escolhas Tasted: Dec 2021

90/100 - Tom Cannavan Tasted: Jan 2023

Widely available in UK supermarkets, Taylor's 2018 Late Bottled Vintage is dark as pitch and has a floral, violet-edge note to the fragrance, cassis and black cherry following. So much brighter in character than the Fonseca Bin 27 also tasted. In the mouth the 104g/l of sugar plays out with mouth-filling sweetness and weight, ripe berries and again, cherry, with a dustiness to the tannins in teh finish that adds a welcome, ashy dryness to counter the lingering sweetness.

91/100 - Wine Enthusiast Tasted: Jul 2021

One of the original Late Bottled Vintage brands, this continues to set a fine style. This latest release is full of black fruits that have been softened by extra wood aging. At the same time, the richness of the wine shows strongly and emphatically, giving a Port that has density and ready drinkability. Roger Voss

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