Taylor's : Vintage Port 2003

This is coming around beautifully now with dark plums, orange peel, chocolate and graphite undertones. It’s full-bodied with fine and chewy tannins and a long finish. A very fresh and elegant Taylor for this hot vintage, which slightly surprised me from the beginning. Drinkable but better in five years for me.

David Guimaraens is a huge fan of 2003s, saying they are in the shadow of the 2000s the way 1966 was in the shadow of the 1963s but ‘when you have a warm year following a cool year, the wines have incredible longevity’. But he is not thinking of touching them yet. Very subtle nose indeed and to me, someone without unlimited access to vintage ports(!), this seems pretty delicious now. Yes, there is lots of tannin but also lots of very charming pruney fruit. Exciting with sufficient freshness as well as sweetness and interest. (JR)

Who is afraid of warm years? Hardly the Port elite. Aromas of tropical woods, black cherry and Assam pepper, allspice, poivre long. Short softness, firm acidity, then a gripping, dry but ripe tannin. With air contact, the port becomes increasingly floral and slate-spicy.

Deep purple with violet rim, almost black at the core. Nose still restrained yet showing dramatic depth: fermented black tea, smoky notes, a hint of truffle, vanilla pod, rock candy notes and dark noble woods; after about 10 minutes, black fruits emerge in the form of cassis and black currant. Firm palate with dramatic yet finely distributed astringency, all aromas staying in the black‑fruit spectrum, notes of rosewood, dark malt, dark chocolate, plenty of spice, an extremely profound terroir expression, displaying endless finesse despite massive aromatics and tremendous fruit intensity. A class wine, belonging to the legends of Taylor’s history; a blend of 1945 and 1963, only much finer.