2000 Taylor's Vintage Port -- (four bottles and a question)

[Rune EG]

Taylor’s 2000 (01.05.11)
My wife and I are friends with a couple for more than 25 years. Finally, the last 10 years they have caught interest in port, and we have had many nice evenings together. Winter 2008 Mr. Nicolas Heath from Taylor’s visited Oslo, and my friend and I attended a lecture incl tasting. We fell in love with the 2000 Taylor’s Vintage Port, and at the end we purchased the seven bottles left in Norway. We then made a book and decided to taste one bottle each spring around 1st May. We take pictures of the bottle and us (not only the bottle getting older!). So in 08, 09 and 10 the bottles showed very well, we made proper notes, and the impressions were similar for these three years. However this year something had happened with the fourth bottle. The port had closed up and it was much less there, especially in the taste. So I mentioned to my friends about the closed period of vintage ports.

Has anyone else had the same experience lately? We intend now to let the remaining three bottles wait for 8-10 years, and have another port drinking project in the meantime!

[Frederick Blais]

I did not taste the 2000 recently. I'm a big fan of this too. With Tier 1 Port I normally open one bottle on release and then wait for 20 years minimum to avoid getting that dumb phase and enjoy the most out of the bottle. At the price they are asking, you want to get it right when you open it.

I think it is wise to put them aside for a while!

[Todd Pettinger]

For VP, the typical years to have it close down is around 5-8 years after bottling. I'm actually more than a little surprised to hear that you had such good showings in 2009 and 10.

I also, would wait about ten more years before opening that next bottle. Perhaps if there is the need to sample before then, maybe five more years.

[Roy Hersh]

Sorry to ask a question and not answer yours:

How long was your bottle decanted in 2011? The same time as the other years that you opened the Taylor 2000.

I remember having this so many times before it was released, both in Portugal and the USA. A good half dozen samples (mostly from trade tastings and events). It was a real stunner in a vintage filled with some excellent bottlings. I am still not sure if I prefer Taylor or Fonseca from 2000, as both are truly monumental Ports. Noval and Nacional are both also remarkable young bottlings and the Niepoort 2000, one of my all time favorite youngsters that I wish I was 25 years younger to see what it is like at age 50.

[Rune EG]

We decanted the bottles abt 5-6 hours each time, so there is a similarity there in how the bottles were handled.
Would you say the decanting time should be longer?

[Roy Hersh]

Yes, to truly appreciate a VP of that caliber with strong tannins, I'd recommend 10-12 hours as being more like it for the Taylor 2000 VP. But as you've done what I would call a "half decant" time, consistently, there's no reason THAT in and of itself, should replicate a Port being shut down. Especially if you've had consistent notes on a 2nd day of tasting the same bottle. IF that was the case, I'd have to presume that the VP was actually shut down. Very scientific, eh? However, if there was no evidence that a 2nd day open presented identically to the first day in terms of being shut down ... then the "jury is still out" in a colloquial sort of way.

[John Trombley]

This port is arriving at the point where each bottle goes its own way. At times it'll seem like it's putting all its energy into just developing, with little pleasure to give, then the next bottle will be a beauty, putting everything it has into stunning you with its beauty. More changes are on the horizon. The only suggestion I might make is that you don't have enough of it to carry out your drinking plans, so if more goes northward, grab it. It's less expensive now than on release, at least in the US.

[Roy Hersh]

John is correct about the pricing and this was the first modern-day vintage to do that!