2000 Taylor Vintage Port
Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 12:08 am
A good friend of mine and I decided to open up a couple of young Taylor's VPs for a head-to-head comparison: 1997 and 2000. Both bottles were given 5-6 hours of decanting and were then (mostly) consumed over the following 3-4 hours. There was a good glass of each left over which I drank on the following night. Here are my notes on the '00:
Opaque purple/burgundy with a wide burgundy rim. Rich notes on the nose that kept evolving: Molasses, figs, pomegranate, prunes and iron with a fresh element of sassafras and orange peel lifting it. On the palate it's a concentrated wave of dark, sweet flavors - prunes, dates and ripe black cherries with an almost caramel-like texture. There's some black pepper that comes out on the midpalate but transitions back to dark fruits on the super long and decadent finish. The big, ripe tannins are virtually hidden behind all of that fruit at this point making it very easy to keep drinking. I've read a lot of praise for this port and I can only say that it's well deserved. This is hedonistic stuff and a pure pleasure to drink but oh so young. 96+ pts, Tasted 11/11
Opaque purple/burgundy with a wide burgundy rim. Rich notes on the nose that kept evolving: Molasses, figs, pomegranate, prunes and iron with a fresh element of sassafras and orange peel lifting it. On the palate it's a concentrated wave of dark, sweet flavors - prunes, dates and ripe black cherries with an almost caramel-like texture. There's some black pepper that comes out on the midpalate but transitions back to dark fruits on the super long and decadent finish. The big, ripe tannins are virtually hidden behind all of that fruit at this point making it very easy to keep drinking. I've read a lot of praise for this port and I can only say that it's well deserved. This is hedonistic stuff and a pure pleasure to drink but oh so young. 96+ pts, Tasted 11/11