Review: Taylor Fladgate 325th Anniversary Tawny Port
Review: Taylor Fladgate 325th Anniversary Tawny Port
The Port house of Taylor Fladgate celebrates 325 years of operation in 2017, so what better time than to put out a unique expression of Port? This is a tawny port with no age information (though on tawnies, an age statement doesn’t mean much anyway), but the winery does offer some information on its production:
To commemorate the milestone, Taylor Fladgate’s blending team has drawn on their extensive cask aged reserves to create a special blend of fine oak-matured Ports selected for their depth and richness of flavor. The limited-edition Taylor Fladgate 325th Anniversary Reserve Tawny, released in a special 1692-style bottle, is a fitting tribute to Taylor Fladgate’s long history and mastery of the art of cask aging and blending.
What’s in the bottle is immediately odd, feeling a lot like a cross between a ruby and a tawny Port. Fruit-forward, it carries the juicy raisin and fresh fig and date notes of a ruby port, with undercurrents of chocolate sauce and coffee bean. As the palate develops it brings forward some of those classically tawny oxidized notes, here showcasing a finish that offers hints of sherry-infused hazelnuts and a smattering of Christmas spices, heavy on the cloves.
B+ / $38 / taylor.pt