Vintage Port - worth the wait?
Vintage Port, as you no doubt know, is widely accepted to go through a 'valley' shortly after bottling. As recently described in Decanter Magazine it 'enjoys a short,
fragrant bloom of youth before it shuts down and goes through 10 to 20
years of surly adolescence. Then it slowly emerges as an adult gaining
in gravitas until it reaches its peak, often between 20 and 40 years of
age'.
So, is it true? Well, we decided at Christmas to taste the theory - and we opened a bottle of Taylor's 2000 (it helps that one of my sons was born that year and I kept a few bottles).
Robert Parker scored Taylor's 2000 Vintage port at 98 points, drink 2010-2040 - which is exactly the age recommended in Decanter.
Wine Spectator scored it 95 points, drink 2024-2040 (so we were a week early)
Well, was it worth the wait? Well, it was superb! A big big hit with all those present.
It was also a big mistake to open it with family as they all enjoyed it so much, they are now all Vintage Port Aficionados.
The thing to remember with Vintage Port is that they are great value as the price has changed relatively little over the years. If you buy it when young, it is exceptional value.
So, is it true? Well, we decided at Christmas to taste the theory - and we opened a bottle of Taylor's 2000 (it helps that one of my sons was born that year and I kept a few bottles).
Robert Parker scored Taylor's 2000 Vintage port at 98 points, drink 2010-2040 - which is exactly the age recommended in Decanter.
Wine Spectator scored it 95 points, drink 2024-2040 (so we were a week early)
Well, was it worth the wait? Well, it was superb! A big big hit with all those present.
It was also a big mistake to open it with family as they all enjoyed it so much, they are now all Vintage Port Aficionados.
The thing to remember with Vintage Port is that they are great value as the price has changed relatively little over the years. If you buy it when young, it is exceptional value.