2001 Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port

[Paul Fountain]

12 hour decant opened on the July 9th and consumed over 3 days
Not a lot of aroma on opening, and after 12 hours in the decanter it still didn't give away much. There is some spice on the nose. I pick up a little pepper and cassia there. There is an inky deep colour and some fruit on the palate up front, but it isn't really bright and a bit hot. Its a bit closed and disjointed at this time but there are plenty of tannins .
At 36 hours it's giving up a bit more on the nose, and is a far better balanced on the palate. The tannins are strong but not overpowering It's much brighter today with great length. Quite sweet up front, with an initial burst of flavour that transitions to long tannins.
Unusually for me, some did survive to 60 hours and I didn't detect much difference from the previous evening.
Overall, I think that this is probably in an awkward phase, but was really pleasant on the second day despite retaining a slight hotness. This will clearly improve with more bottle age and I don't think I'll look at it again for another 10 years. (89 points)

[Roy Hersh]

HI Paul,

Although I love some of the Vargellas bottlings, 1967, 1976, 1987 my favorite, 1991, 1995 etc. the 2001 is underrated and deserves far more attention than it receives. It is a really beautiful Port with longevity and richness at its core. Thanks for your note!

[Paul Fountain]

I've got another half dozen fo these and I reckon I might get some more. Believe it or not, I got these from Costco at price that that is not that much more than most LBVs (and less than the Noval) and almost AU$20 cheaper than I've seen a VP sold in Australia. My Vargellas collection is still pretty young and comprises of 98s 01s and 05s, but I've had a 91 and a 67 and both were fantastic.

[Roy Hersh]

Agreed. I am a big fan of Vargellas and think they offer great value for money too. Grab more while the price is reasonable. Getting the 2001 for the price of LBV is very compelling!