Day 5 – Thursday

Taylor Fladgate’s Quinta de Vargellas

The following morning the rest of the PHT crew arrived for the tour’s scheduled visit to Vargellas. In addition to Alistair and Gillyane, we were joined by our friend Chris Forbes, Marketing Manager at Taylor’s. The group took a quick tour of the property, and we adjourned to the dining room to have our tasting.

1966 Taylor Vintage Port – Light ruby pink in color. Wines are from Quinta de Vargellas and Quinta de Terra Feita. Red fruit with some underlying chocolate notes. Unctuous cherry on the palate. Elegant with just a hint of spirit that gives it a wonderful character. Very long and full finish with hints of cinnamon. 96 points. 9/22/2016

1977 Taylor Vintage Port – Transparent ruby in color. Rich nose of strawberry, red fruit, and chocolate, with a hint of spice underneath. Impressive, unctuous approach with rich raspberry and some woody notes. Very long finish with balance and power. 95 points. 9/22/2016

1978 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port – Medium ruby in color with some light sediment. Light red fruit hiding under some spirit on the nose. Intense unctuous strawberry and some light herbal notes on the palate, along with some elegant hints of raspberry. Very rich mid-palate and long finish. 94 points. 9/22/2016

1991 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port – Dark ruby in color with slight lightening on the edges. Chocolate and subtle red fruit on the nose, with a touch of spirit. Intense, full mouthfeel. Firm tannins on the mid-palate. Pomegranate and some underlying clove on the palate. Long finish with red fruit notes. 92 points. 9/22/2016

1992 Taylor Vintage Port – Purple-red in color. Floral notes, violets and a touch of black currant. Blueberry and some dark plum on the palate. Long balanced finish with some nice tannins. 93 points. 9/22/2016

Our tasting at Vargellas was followed by lunch on the veranda, with one of the most beautiful views in the Douro.

2012 Mouchao Pont das Canas (Alentejo Doc), N/R

2015 Quinta do Crasto Superior Douro Doc, N/R

Taylor 20 Year Old Tawny Port – Orange amber in color. Nose of caramel and burnt sugar. Vanilla and cedar on the palate with bright acidity and long, unctuous finish. 92 points. 9/22/2016

1996 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port – Dark ruby in color. Violets and dart fruit on the nose. Raspberry and some chocolate notes on the nose as well. Slight herbal notes hiding under some cassis and blueberry on the palate. Long finish. 94 points. 9/22/2016

As we began to say our goodbyes to Alistair, Gillyane, and Chris, Alistair pulled out a book I have given him in 2007 called “Backyard Ballistics.” It was a book about how to make “potato cannons” and other unusual ballistic weapons, and I had given it to Alistair after we had a really fun conversation the year before about invading the Cockburn vineyard that was prominently advertised just across the Douro River from Vargellas. It was a fun conversation, and one that we laugh about every year we see each other in the Douro.

Quevedo

Our next stop was a drive out to São João da Pesqueira, where we visited the property of our good friend Oscar Quevedo. Quevedo’s predecessors had a long history in the Douro, with Oscar’s ancestor planting the first vines in Valonng dos Azeites in 1889. For many years, they sold grapes to Taylor Fladgate, and it wasn’t until 1991 that they first bottled Port under their own Quevedo brand.

Oscar, who manages Sales for Quevedo, went to university and then worked in the banking industry until he joined the family business in 2009. I believe that Oscar may have been one of the first people that I know of to put a QR code (one of those small square symbols that you can scan with your mobile phone and it takes you to a website) on the back of a Port wine label. He calls Quevedo’s Quinta da Trovisca vineyards his “experimental field,” and as we toured the cellars, I saw a few oddities, like wine aging in glass demijohns. I’ve always appreciated that he has an approach that honors the traditions of his family and the Douro Valley, but is also looking ahead to future generations of Port wine drinkers.

After he welcomed us, we headed down into the cellars to begin some cask sampling.

2014 Quevedo Colheita Port A, N/R

2014 Quevedo Colheita Port B, N/R

2012 Quevedo Touriga Nacional Vintage Port – Cask sample. N/R

2010 Quevedo Touriga Franca Vintage Port – Cask sample. N/R

After tasting several wines from the cellar, we headed up to the dining room for lunch. The view of the vineyards was amazing, and both the lunch and wines were really enjoyable.

Quevedo Crusted Port – Bottled in 2012. Dark ruby in color. Crusted Port must be a blend of a minimum of two vintages. This one includes 2007, 2008, 2009 and 10% of 2010. This wine can age in the bottle. Dark fruit on the unctuous palate. Tannins are pronounced on the long finish. 90 points. 9/22/2016

2015 Quevedo Vintage Port – Cask Sample. Almost completely opaque, with vibrant purple on the edges. Primary red fruit notes on the nose with violets and floral components. Tannins are still massive for the very young wine. Raspberry and some red currant on the palate. Very long finish. NR 9/22/2016

2011 Quevedo Vintage Port – Impenetrable dark purple in color with slight lightening right at the very edge. Black fruits with some spearmint underneath. Intense approach with raspberry, black cherry, and crushed violets. Long finish with pronounced tannins. 92 points. 9/22/2016

2015 Oscar’s Douro White, N/R

2013 Claudia’s Douro Red, N/R

2014 Quevedo Douro Q Grande Reserva – Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tina Roriz. This has not been bottled yet. Impenetrable dark purple in color. Violets and red fruit on the intense nose. Intense concentration of blueberry and black tea. Intense, chalky tannins on the long mid-palate and finish. 94 points. 9/22/2016

1996 Quevedo Colheita Port – Amber with tints of purple in color. Prune, chocolate and wood notes on the nose. Very unctuous approach with molasses and chocolate espresso beans. 93 points. 9/22/2016

1972 Quevedo Colheita Port – Orange with yellow hues and greening at the edges. Dusty orange peel and leather on the nose with a touch of spirit. Balanced, unctuous approach with caramel, maple and bright acidity. Long, unctuous finish. 94 points. 9/22/2016

Quevedo 30 year Old White Port – Vanilla and honey on the nose. Smooth, balanced notes of butterscotch and hints of honey on the palate. Very balanced acidity and tannins on the finish. 93 points. 9/22/2016