1967 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port

[Paul Fountain]

Opened on Dec 31 2010
The bottle was obtained at auction a few weeks previous. The wax seal was still intact but brittle and the cork broke at 4/5ths of the way down as I was removing it. It was then decanted through cheesecloth.
On Decant - A lighter red with some slight brown tinges. The intial impression when I nosed the decanter was bubblegum, but this disipated after about 30 seconds to expose some cherry and raspberry aromas. The alcohol was present on the nose giving it some spiciness but it was not overpowering. In the glass it was a little lighter in clour than I was expecting for the good version of this port. I had a little taste at this point too and it was slightly hot but well balanced without any deep length.

D+1hr Some heat, but nice body. Slightly longer this time with a slight tartness at the finish that didn't detract from the overall taste.

D+4 It had really opened up by now. The colour seemed a little darker. There was some heat on the nose, that again wasn't overpowering and gave way to some chocolate and cinnamon overtones. As expected the fruit is subdued, but the balance is great. It isn't super long on the palate but there is a weight to the midpalate that shines through. The slight tartness that was evident after an hour was still there but was slightly diminished.
D+8 No strong fruit flavours on the palate, but with some cherry coming through.

D+24 The port sat in an open decanter overnight and during the next day but was kept at lower than the ambient room temperature throughout that period in an insulated box (after I discovered I can't actually remove the shelves from my wine fridge)
THere was bubblegum evident on the nose again, but again this disappeared quickly. The port seemed a lttle more viscous today with some cherry coming through on the nose. A little spirit still present on the nose, but it is well balanced. There was more depth to the palate today and the balance that was there yesterday was most certainly still there.

Overall, I'd sum this up by saying it was an elegant rather than powerful and was a pleasure to drink 92 points.

[Andy Velebil]

Paul,
Glad to hear you have a nice bottle of this Port and got to experience it, as it can be one of the better VP's from this vintage.

[Richard Henderson]

I opened a bottle of this for our Friday blind tasting group, yesterday. It was a nice, smooth port. Seemed younger than 1967. Nice fruit, mint on the nose. Medium ruby color. Smooth mouth entry, just a little pleasant heat. Smooth finish, not complex 91 points.

[Roy Hersh]

Thanks for the data point guys. Lots of bottle variation in this one. Good to see you enjoyed yours. Richard, how long was your decant of this Port?

[Richard Henderson]

Just over 2 hours. I was relying on someone else to bring it and they got it there a little late.Still, it was quite good. I think I bought this on your recommendation Roy a couple of years ago.