About this WINE
Mixed Cases
Mixed Cases are a great way to sample a range of wines from our extensive and eclectic wine list, safe in the knowledge that they are meticulously selected (and sampled) by our buyers.
Port Blend
There are around 40 different grape varieties permitted in the production of Port - however the vast majority of Ports are produced from a blend of 5 grapes - Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinto Cão.
Touriga Nacional produces small, dark-skinned grapes that produce opaque black wines of great extract and high tannins - it gives grip, body, and structure to the blend.
Touriga Franca has a thinner skin and consequently produces wines lighter in colour and tannins than Touriga Nacional. It contributes fruit, aroma, suppleness and roundness.
Tinta Roriz is the Portuguese name for Tempranillo and its high sugar content and low acidity contribute colour and fruit.
Tinta Barroca which is normally grown at highish altitudes and on north-facing slopes, is prized for producing wines of delicacy, finesse and with smooth, velvety fruit. It brings elegance and sweet, ripe fruit to the final blend.
Finally Tinto Cão produces fine and complex wines, though it is probably the least important of the 5 grapes as its painfully small yields have reduced plantings to almost insignificant levels.
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Description
An unmissable chance to taste an outstanding line-up of Ports from the 2009 vintage from Taylor-Fladgate Partnership which which comprises the celebrated Port houses of Taylor, Fonseca and Croft. Fladgate rated 2009 as "a vintage of massive scale, not unlike the iconic vintage ports of the early twentieth century."
1 bottle each of:
Taylor 2009
The major share-holders here are, as usual, Quinta de Vargellas and Quinta de Terra Feita. Vargellas is located in the hotter eastern sector and it is significant that the selected grapes were farmed on the higher terraces, preserving acidity and balance in addition to the traditional aromatics of violet, ripe blackberry and herbs. Taylor is always a treat for senses and intellect alike, its synaesthetic appeal the fruits of ancient vines and traditional vinification. David Guimaraens, Head Winemaker, is delighted with the wine and praises both its grip and its overall complexity. We concur!
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)
Fonseca 2009
Reduced yields, especially at the flagship Quinta do Panascal, explain the uncompromising colour and sheer weight of flavour here, with floral aromatics leading to a palate dominated by dark fruits, chocolate and licorice. Rich and hedonistic, this is authoritative and powerful at the back of the mouth and finishes with aplomb.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)
Croft 2009
Now in its tenth year of Fladgate ownership, Croft is 100% farmed from the magnificent terraced Quinta da Roêda close to Pinhão and is now also 100% foot-trodden. After a slight dip in 2007, this wine returns to the benchmark set in 2003. A nose of resin, ripe black cherry and gum-cistus cedes to a surprisingly elegant palate, with firm acidity and grippy slightly drying tannins at the finish.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)
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