An outstanding young port. It was a bit tight on the day, but the quality really shone through. The nose, for example, was very attractive, but a little reserved, with quietly alluring notes of wood and violets, fresh scents of sweet black currants and wild berries, a touch of violets at the sides. It was really elegant on the palate, with a beautiful balance and a transparency that really surprised me in such a young port, with round, glowing flavours of dried muscat grapes, prunes and black cherries fanning out into a burst of warm wood spice at the finish. Gentle insistent there, with a superb length. This was very finely built indeed - with silky tannins and beautifully fresh acidity making it seem almost effortless. A wine that was at once gentle and strong, with a wonderfully elegant feel to go along with a beating heart of quiet intensity. Surprisingly easy to drink at such a young age, but there is still a ton of material tightly wound-up in its core. I can see it unfolding absolutely beautifully through the decades. Bravo. 94+

A step or two behind the really lovely 2009 tasted on the same flight, but this was pretty nice all the same. The nose was a little reserved on first pour, but opened up really quickly to show a rich, deep bouquet of blackberries and violets infused with a little earth and a whole of spice - think cayenne pepper, cloves, and a whole lot more. Quite attractive. The palate was big and round in the mouth - a reflection of the hot vintage - but still somehow nicely undercut by Taylor’s typically more reserved style, with a spine of graphite mineral and still rather obvious tannins holding up a nice mouthful of prunes and dried berries. The finish was still quite grippy and a touch woody. All in all, pretty good, but this a world away from the elegant, transparent 2009. It certainly felt a bit less elegant, and a lot less suave a port. Still, Taylor rarely makes a dud vintage, and this was nevertheless a nice port. I would toss it aside for a decade or two before broaching it again though. 92+

A pretty decent drop, but I enjoyed this the least from amongst the 4 vintage ports that we tasted side-by-side. The nose was lovely though - with black cherries, cassis and violets playing against an a backdrop of earth, schist and spice - with notes of pepper, cloves and cinnamon. Such a pretty bouquet; certainly more expressive than the 2005 Quinta de Vargellas we had alongside. The palate was not quite there though. Pleasant enough, but nowhere as impressive as the nose. It had nice round fruit in the way of red cherries and raspberries, maybe some rose petals, and then a bit of warm, peppery spice moving into the midpalate. Very giving I thought, with a softness in acidity that kept it balanced without quite suggesting at freshness. Towards the finish though, the wine felt a little more edgy, with fine-boned tannins lending it a bit of a structured bite. There was a good bit of length there, ending in a long trail of red fruit, but this felt not quite together at the moment. It clearly needs plenty more time yet; even then, I am not sure this will ever become anything more than a decently good port.

Really lovely. This was tasted side-by-side with a 2005 Taylor Vintage Quinta de Terra Feita, and clearly stood head-and-shoulders above the later wine. The nose was a little more reserved here than on the others, with notes of graphite and pencil lead, whiffs of wild garrigue and maybe some green brambly herb, and then a quiet bit of fresh red fruit, all this laced with just a tiny hint of ferrous iron and mineral. An intriguing bouquet. It was lovely on the palate. Much better than the Feita. This was all purity and elegance, with silky tannins framing a glow of red fruited and gentle minerality. A real beauty, almost ladylike in its effortless elegance and superb balance. It had a lovely finish too - long, gentle and insistent, with fruit, mineral and spice, all supremely integrated into a perfect whole. So good - the balance and integration on this made it a delicious drink even on the day; but make no mistake, this has the chops to age for many years yet. There was a bit of quiet complexity lurking in there, but more should come over time.

A very decent 10 year tawny. This had a pleasant enough nose, with a hint of walnuts and violets, some truffle honey, and just that but of earthiness. Quite a pretty bouquet. The palate came across rather more red fruited than the nose, with dried cherries and red currants, and then the typical dried figs, and more woody and walnutty accents of a tawny port. A little tang of acidity than carried it into a rather salty, almost saline finish infused with a whole lot of spice. Quite a bit of length there I thought. Not the most complex of wines, but this was decently good for a 10 year tawny.

This delightful 20-year is probably Taylor's sweet-spot when it comes QPR amongst its line-up of tawnies. Balanced, delicious and eminently drinkable, for a friendly price-tag - there's very little to dislike on this one. On tasting, it had a brighter nose than on the 10-year tawny, with notes of cedar wood drifting in and out of red fruit and sweet spice aromas, with a drizzle of treacle at the sides. It had a delicious palate - red fruits in the shape of dried cherries and maraschino, a nice dose of wood spice, a hint of herbs; it tasted almost like a really well-made Manhattan cocktail. Nice finish too, long and nicely balanced, with a touch of honey over some dark chocolate and spice flavours, all held in a light grip of fine tannins. Nice stuff.

Decent - this was a yummy drink. You can get better 30-year tawnies for the coin though. The nose was attractive as one would expect, with warm notes of walnuts, roasted almonds and mahogany wood wafting through a core of sweeter fig paste, prunes and raisin accents, all this backed up with drips of honey and caramel. The palate was delicious too, but rather lacked the complexity one would have expected from a 30-year tawny. It was soft and round, but still very juicy, with orangey acidity running through flavours of dried figs, kumquat peel, and of crunch of redcurrants underneath, all coloured with a rancio, brandied character, especially as the wine glided gently into a subtle finish touched with molasses and some gingerbread spices. A yummy mouthful - but this was a decent rather than great tawny.

This did not quite float my boat. A pleasant drink, but disappointing given its age statement and price-tag. I actually preferred both the 30 and 20 year tawnies that we had alongside. The nose was really woody - with mahogany and penicillin aromas drafting amidst rich scents of molasses, honey and chocolate, prune and plums - almost like smelling a freshly baked sticky date pudding I thought - and then a bit of minerality and more of those woody accents rounding out the bouquet. Quite a nice, heady mix. I was not quite as taken by the palate though. There was a lot of of rancio, oxidative characteristics here, with nuts, dried figs and orange peel; maybe a touch of sweeter dried apricots on the midpalate; and then a rather surprisingly short finish that ended with a twist of bramble, herb and spice. Decent, but no great shakes.

A Colheita by any other name - this one bottled 50 years after its harvest, meaning that it sits at the high-end of Taylor's tawny line-up. I liked this. Not sure it is quite worth its entry price given how good the (signficantly cheaper) Taylor vintage ruby ports are though. The nose had a touch of that penicillin note that I find in some of the really old tawny ports and Madeiras, along with a suprising red-fruited character - think dried red cherries and preserved berries - and then a bit of earthy funk, some mineral, and a dose of spice. Not the most attractive nose in the world I thought; especially when put next to the other tawnies in the line-up. The palate was much better thankfully, unfolding in the mouth in gentle layers of bittersweet herbs, sweet red fruits, and more savoury hints of preserved figs and a bit of spice on the mid-lengthed finish. There was a really good sense of balance on this, with fresh acidity and silky tannins giving it an effortless sense of elegance. That freshness really made it very food-friendly as well - the best pairing for an array of cheeses from amongst the Taylor tawnies I thought. Nice stuff. I felt it was a bit simple when first poured, but there a gentle complexity that came out with time and air.