1980 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 3:49 pm
Here's the tasting note that I wrote when I tasted the Taylor 1980 that I opened last week This was an extremely impressive bottle. I can't really comment on Tom's comparison of the 1960 and the 1980 vintages as I didn't get to taste the '60s when they were 27 years old, but the 1980s seem to me to be pretty variable across both bottles and shippers. Good bottles from the top shippers of the year seem to be very enjoyable.
Deep red in colour, the colour of plum cordial. Sweet liquorice nose with raspberry juice and a touch of mint from the spirit but spirit is well integrated. Liquorice into the mouth, sweet but balanced by a nice acidity. Oddly, the wine feels like it should be thicker than it is with the body that it has. The initial mid-palate flavours are of fresh wood - cedar and pine - but then a lovely complexity of plums and raisins comes through. The aftertaste is stunning. A quick burst of tannins then an amazing array of nutmeg, cinnamon and a bite of black pepper all underneath a huge wave of plum and apple jam. This fabulous aftertaste compares with the very best I have ever experienced. Its worth getting a bottle of this if only to experience the aftertaste. That aftertaste goes on all night from just a single sip. Scoring this wine is a pity as it clearly needs more time in the decanter, I suggest a minimum of 5 hours and I believe that it is still years away from its peak. The nose was a little closed and the mouth flavours pleasant but only a little above average....but that aftertaste! On Tom's scale I would put this just about at top quartile and would expect it to be better in 10 years so I will score it 7/8. On a 100 point scale I score this at 91/100.
I came back to this wine the following morning, 12 hours after decanting, and it had improved further from where it had been at the time I took the tasting note. The nose had opened up and the mouth flavours developed further without losing any of the impact of the aftertaste. At this time I would rate the wine 1 point higher at 92/100. The wine was still drinking very well on Thursday evening, 50 hours after opening.
Alex
This tasting note is one of several related tasting notes. Click [here] to see the original note in context.
Deep red in colour, the colour of plum cordial. Sweet liquorice nose with raspberry juice and a touch of mint from the spirit but spirit is well integrated. Liquorice into the mouth, sweet but balanced by a nice acidity. Oddly, the wine feels like it should be thicker than it is with the body that it has. The initial mid-palate flavours are of fresh wood - cedar and pine - but then a lovely complexity of plums and raisins comes through. The aftertaste is stunning. A quick burst of tannins then an amazing array of nutmeg, cinnamon and a bite of black pepper all underneath a huge wave of plum and apple jam. This fabulous aftertaste compares with the very best I have ever experienced. Its worth getting a bottle of this if only to experience the aftertaste. That aftertaste goes on all night from just a single sip. Scoring this wine is a pity as it clearly needs more time in the decanter, I suggest a minimum of 5 hours and I believe that it is still years away from its peak. The nose was a little closed and the mouth flavours pleasant but only a little above average....but that aftertaste! On Tom's scale I would put this just about at top quartile and would expect it to be better in 10 years so I will score it 7/8. On a 100 point scale I score this at 91/100.
I came back to this wine the following morning, 12 hours after decanting, and it had improved further from where it had been at the time I took the tasting note. The nose had opened up and the mouth flavours developed further without losing any of the impact of the aftertaste. At this time I would rate the wine 1 point higher at 92/100. The wine was still drinking very well on Thursday evening, 50 hours after opening.
Alex
This tasting note is one of several related tasting notes. Click [here] to see the original note in context.