Fladgate Partnership-owned Taylor’s Port has announced today the declaration of the 2018 vintage
Taylor’s decision is the third consecutive declaration, and follows that of Sogrape’s Sandeman, Offley and Ferreira estates last week.
‘Although a classic declaration normally only happens about three times a decade, the exceptional run of years has meant that Taylor’s is able to make a third in a row,’ commented Taylor’s managing director Adrian Bridge. ‘This is very unusual but our principle is that we only declare a classic vintage when the quality is there and this is dictated by the year, not by any other consideration. Indeed, in view of the economic situation in which we find ourselves, we will bottle in July as usual but will not offer the wines until early 2021.’
Head winemaker David Guimaraens added: ‘The Douro Superior enjoyed the combination of abundant ground water and hot summer weather which often produces great vintage Port. It has given us the excellent phenolic maturity typical of a hot ripening season but the fine multi-layered fruit, fresh acidity we normally see in cooler years.’
Meanwhile, Fonseca and Croft Ports, also owned by the Fladgate Partnership, have chosen not to declare.
‘This is a year in which overall conditions were excellent but exceptional in the Douro Superior,’ commented Bridge. ‘As Taylor’s is the only one of our [Fladgate Partnership’s] companies with extensive land holdings in this part of the Douro, it has been able to make a classic. All our properties are always farmed so that every grape has the potential of being made into vintage Port.’
Fonseca, however, will release a 2018 Guimaraens Vintage Port, while Croft will release a 2018 single-quinta vintage from its historic Quinta da Roêda estate.
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