1955 | Taylor’s | Fladgate Vintage Port

Introduction

Dessert Wine: 1955 | Taylor’s | Fladgate Vintage Port

Balancing savory, mushroom and spice notes against sweet caramel and dried fruit flavors on the long finish.

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Producer: Taylor’s

Ratings: JG | 96 WE | 95

Vintage: 1955

Size: 750ml

ABV: 20%

Varietal: Port Blend Red

Country/Region: Portugal, Douro

Balancing savory, mushroom and spice notes against sweet caramel and dried fruit flavors on the long finish.

Reviews:

• John Gilman: Having the 1955 and 1963 Taylors side by side, as we did at this tasting, is a perfect way to build up the patience necessary to keep the 63 in the cellar, as the absolute apogee of the 1955 serves to amply demonstrate just how much more complexity the 1963 will gain with more bottle age. Aromatically, the 1955 Taylor has fully moved from its black fruity signature of youth into the more transparent, exotic and spice-driven profile of a mature Taylor, but yet retains all of the intensity and vigor on the palate of a strapping vintage port in its prime. The nose on the 55 is flat out brilliant, as it soars from the glass in a spicy and exotic potpourri of blood orange, caramelized banana, brown sugar, tobacco, herb tones, exotic spices and cedar. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and utterly seamless, with haunting focus and balance, laser-like focus, excellent depth, and great length and grip on the fully mature, refined and aristocratic finish.

• Wine Enthusiast: This bottle was at a lovely point in its life, balancing savory, mushroom and spice notes against sweet caramel and dried fruit flavors on the long finish. Tannins resolved, potent alcohol totally concealed by the richness of the wine–there’s simply nothing out of place.

Producer Information

Taylor’s is one of the most important Port houses in the Douro region of northern Portugal. It is notable for its wide range of traditional ports, from vintage expressions to tawny ports of various ages, and also for its creation of the Late Bottled Vintage, or LBV, style. The genesis of the company began 1692 when English wine merchant Job Bearsley arrived in Portugal, although it would be many years and owners before it came to be known as Taylor’s. Bearsley initially traded in red Portuguese wine from the northwest of the country, and in 1744, under his grandson Bartholomew, the company became the first British wine merchant to buy a property in the Douro. Taylor’s changed hands often during the 19th and 20th Centuries, coming under control of both Joseph Taylor and John Fladgate, who gave the company its names. It survived to rebuild after phylloxera ravaged vineyards across Europe at the end of the 19th Century. It came to the Yeatman family at the beginning of the 20th Century, and they have been the proprietors since. In the 1960s, Alistair Robertson took the reins and began to focus on finding new markets in Asia and North America, rather than just relying on Britain. He also created the first Late Bottled Vintage port, which has since become a mainstay of the industry. It was first released with the 1970 vintage and was an instant success.