2011 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port

Bright medium ruby. Knockout nose combines smoky dark fruits, exotic flowers, spices, dried lavender, minerals and a balsamic nuance. Hugely concentrated, dense and primary but with penetrating minerality giving finesse and precision to the mid-palate. Extremely fine-grained, classy wine with fresh acidity and restrained sweetness. The firmly tannic, mineral-tinged finish features outstanding perfumed persistence and the structure and balance for decades of development in the cellar. Still, this is not as austere in its youth as some recent vintages.

The 2011 Taylor’s Vintage 2011 has a multifaceted, Pandora’s Box of a nose that is mercurial in the glass: cassis at first before blackberry and raspberry politely ask it to move aside, followed by wilted rose petals and Dorset plum. Returning after one 45 minutes that nose has shut up shop. The palate is sweet and sensual on the entry, plush and opulent, with copious black cherries, boysenberry and cassis fruit, curiously more reminiscent of Fonseca! It just glides across the palate with a mouth-coating, glycerine-tinged finish that has a wonderful lightness of touch, demonstrating how Vintage Port is so much more accessible in its youth nowadays. But don’t let that fool you into dismissing the seriousness or magnitude of this outstanding Taylor’s. Tasted May 2013. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7700

Very pretty pure fruit on the nose: crushed berries and minerals with a licorice and graphite undertone. Full body, medium sweet with chewy tannins that are polished and firm. This shows balance and harmony, but remains powerful, muscular and toned.