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News
Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas 2012 has a much more straight-laced bouquet compared to the Fonseca Guimaraens as you might expect. However it is well defined with dusky blackberry, mulberry, dark chocolate and wet stone aromas that expand in the glass over the course of one hour. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with a taut line of acidity keeping everything linear. There is superb tension and focus here, not enormous depth but an almost effervescent finish that lends this Vargellas an approachability difficult to fend off. Probably best to just give in.
Score: 92
Neal Martin
Wine Description
The Story
Quinta de Vargellas is pre-eminent among the wine estates of the Douro. Located in the wild and hilly eastern reaches of the Douro valley, it has been prized as a source of the finest Port wines since the 1820s. Today it ranks among the great vineyards of the world.
In years when a Taylor’s Vintage is not declared, the decision may be taken to bottle a Single Quinta Vintage Port. This is made entirely from grapes grown on the Vargellas property and bears the name of the estate on the label.
A Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port is generally more early maturing than the declared Taylor’s Vintages. Often quite approachable when young, they will nevertheless mature well for many years if laid down.
The elegant and scented Port wines of Quinta de Vargellas are the most reputed Single Quinta Vintages. Regarded as more prestigious and collectable than many shippers’ declared Vintages, they often appear for sale at auction. Like a declared Vintage, a Quinta de Vargellas Single Quinta Vintage Port is released soon after bottling. However, some of the Port wine is generally kept back to be offered for sale when approaching drinking age.
Wine Information
The winter preceding the 2012 harvest was much drier and colder than is customary. Budburst occurred towards the third week in March under very dry conditions, with good levels of rainfall occurring in April and early May. By the end of May, the vineyards showed low vigour, caused by the combination of an extremely dry winter and cooler than normal spring. Flowering occurred between the 14th – 30th May.
Good weather continued during June and July leading to the healthy development of the vines. The vines maintained their lower than usual vigour, resulting in smaller berries, bunches and lower yields. Véraison (colouring of the grapes) was inevitably later than usual.
In mid-August, the grapes were still very low in sugar and with high levels of acidity. The vegetation however, was remarkably healthy for the time of year. The fully performing canopies and fewer grapes resulted in a significant and continuous ripening of the crop during the duration of the harvest. As a result picking started on the 20th September at Vargellas, with a small pause on the 24th for a few hours of rain, but good weather prevailed for the rest of the harvest.
