2018 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Vintage

Community Tasting Notes (7) Avg Score: 95.1 points

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  7/28/2023 - tob100 Likes this wine: 99 Points

  Decanting 9 hours in a zalto decanter and put the wine back in the bottle.
  - Note:
  I smelled the wine before decanting (no tasting) and it smelled like sour and old red wine.
  -----------------------------------------------
  
  The nose:
  Medicin closet, pencil, mint. Wood and leaf/meadow. The fruit is anonymous but i get honeycoated dried plum and blackcurrant. Intereting nose.
  
  The palate:
  A little more approachable then the nose.
  Raisin, Fig, Plum, Blackcurrant, honey. Also some milk chocolate, nutty feeling and cocao
  Very sweet on the tounge. Fine amount of oak, silky, fresh and lush.
  
  Tannin high
  Acidity medium+
  Full body
  - Seems sweeter then the 07' and 03' - I dont know if its due to the vintage being so young.
  
  This Taylor vintage 2018 sure did benefit from a long decant, because its so fantastic after that. It could easily do 12 hours in total.
  
  I was curious to taste a young vintage, and it didn't disapoint. But to break it up:
  Wines up to 15 years = More freshness and fruity character.
  Wines from 15 and above = the fruit becomes secondary and the secondary notes becomes primary
  Either way: decant the shit out them!
  
  To compare this with the Vargellas 2015, that I had last week, its hard. I must say I like this vintage 18' the most, but the Vargellas didn't get 9 hours decant - only 1 hour decant and tasted over 4 hours
  Im sure to think that the decanting had something to say.
  Vargellas 15' was closed, even after the decant, but opened up after a longer time.
  Vargellas wines is a great cheaper "alternative" and to be honest, I dont think that I would be able to taste difference, if blind tasted. If so, very slightly.
  
  To finish up, I think that you should treat most of the wines from Taylor equally when it comes to decanting - not for sediment, but for breathing. Many of them needs hours and hours of air. So do yourself that favor because it will only be a greater experience, when tasting.
  
  Taylor vintage 2018 feels like it could last forever, but at this stage - 99 Points.

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  3/21/2023 - Jason Wu Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Black tea, minty, violet, ripe apricot, fruity and luscious.

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  10/31/2022 - Lukas_w Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Aging possibility is staggering

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  4/16/2022 - Everything Ahead wrote: 94 Points

  Believe it or not, this is drinking very nicely now from a 375ml with a several hour decant and followed over 2 nights. Not overly sweet, comes across almost like a high octane late harvest California Zin, but in a good way. At first, all dark/dried fruits like plum/blackberry/prune/raisin, then lots (!) of licorice and molasses. Tannins not insanely drying, this feels gently extracted. Minerality (slate) comes through on day two, as do the floral qualities. Of course this is a wine to age for a few decades, but wanted to crack one early in the name of science, and it was both a hedonistic and intellectual pleasure. Rating: 94+

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  4/9/2022 - Heynetty Likes this wine:

  D5 DipWSET FORTIFIED WINES with Adam Chase and Matt Gaughan; 4/9/2022-4/10/2022 (St Francis' Yacht Club San Francisco): A: Deep ruby
  N: Medium (+) intensity nose of prunes, dried cherries, white pepper, clove, nutmeg, medicinal , menthol
  P: Sweet, medium acid [instructor says its medium + acidity], high chalky tannins [instructor describes these as ripe], high alcohol, medium (+) intensity and medium (+) finish.
  This is a very high quality wine. The acidity balances the sugar, length and intensity support a mildly complex wine. Further ageing might provide more dried fruit, leather and other tertiary factors may develop and increase the complexity of this wine.
  Suitable for ageing....obvs.

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