1969 Single Harvest Tawny – Kobrand Wine & Spirits

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Portugal
Douro Valley Porto

Taylor Fladgate holds one of the most extensive reserves of very old cask aged Port of any producer. They include a collection of rare Single Harvest Ports. These are Ports from a single year which age to full maturity in seasoned oak casks and display the year of harvest on the label. Taylor Fladgate has decided to make a limited release, each year, of a Single Harvest Port made 50 years previously. The 1969 Single Harvest is the sixth in the series. The Taylor Fladgate Single Harvest Port is presented in the classic frosted bottle associated with Taylor Fladgate’s celebrated range of Aged Tawny Ports and will be presented in a high quality wooden box.

HARVEST NOTE
26 inches of rainfall from October 1968 to March 1969 made it one of the wettest Winters on record. July and August were hot, but rain before the vintage in September caused rot to appear on some bunches. Maturation of the fruit was delayed by the cool early Summer and consequently the vintage did not start generally until the 2nd of October. Some very good wines were made with good color and lovely fruit characteristics, but in general it was a difficult vintage with low yields.

Tasting Note

Deep mahogany color with discreet olive highlights on the rim. Very fine, elegant nose, with an opulent core of wild honey, molasses and butterscotch infused with a spicy redolence of black pepper and cinnamon. Cedary cigar box aromas, savory scents of wild herbs and a discreet aura of fresh mint add a further layer of complexity. The perfectly calibrated palate is lifted by a fresh acidity and delivers a wealth of rich mellow flavor with notes of molasses, dried figs, sultanas and apricot confit. The finish is clean and bright, with ripe pear and mint and very discreet zesty citrus notes.

Technical Data

GRAPES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca

APPELLATION: Douro

PH: 3.70

ACIDITY: 5.5 g/l

ABV: 20.5%

RESIDUAL SUGAR: 158 g/l

Unique Selling Points

Taylor Fladgate holds one of the largest stocks of fine cask aged wine of any Port house
Taylor Fladgate is the leading brand in the aged Tawny market
A remarkable opportunity to experience a wine from half a century ago
Perfect for 50th anniversaries or birthdays

"A 50th birthday or anniversary is a landmark occasion. Taylor Fladgate Single Harvest Ports offer a unique opportunity to celebrate with an extraordinary 50 year old wine in perfect condition"

Adrian Bridge, Managing Director

Vineyard Details

Quinta de Vargellas

Quinta de Vargellas is the backbone of Taylor, Fladgate's declared vintage Portos, lending them consistency and defining their style. In the best undeclared years, Quinta de Vargellas stands on its own as a single-quinta vintage Porto. Vargellas was originally, in the early 1800s, three separate properties: The upper portion, Quinta do Vale; the middle portion, Quinta de Vargellas-do-Meio; and the lower portion, known by the several names of Quinta de Vargellas-de-Baixo, Quinta de Galega and Quinta do Brito. Documents substantiate that an 1808 vintage wine, possibly among those that surfaced in London in the 1820s, mentioned above, was produced from Quinta de Vargellas-do-Meio. Sometime between 1850 and 1890, the vineyards were consolidated into a single property. In 1893, on the heels of the arrival of the phylloxera epidemic, Taylor Fladgate purchased Vargellas in a state of near ruin; its yield in that year was barely 5% of current production. Today it is an A-rated vineyard, with 103 acres of vines planted on its steep, northeast-facing terraced slopes descending precipitously to the banks of the Douro.

Quinta de Terra Feita

Taylor, Fladgate's other vineyard is the A-rated, 217-acre Quinta de Terra Feita, a spectacular south-facing amphitheater on the west bank of the Pinhão River; this quinta contributes to the vintage port in declared years. Purchased in 1974, it has long been an important source of vintage quality wines for Taylor, Fladgate. It now has 126 acres planted to vines.

Quinta do Junco

Purchased in 1998, Quinta do Junco is 82 acres (48 planted to vines) located near Quinta de Terra Feita in the Pinhão River Valley. The property is being developed to include vertical planting of the classic Porto grapes, a technique that Taylor, Fladgate helped pioneer in the Douro.

Quinta do Panascal

In 1978, Fonseca acquired Quinta do Panascal, whose reputation goes back to the 18th century, when wines from the Tavora Valley in Cima Corgo, where the vineyard is located, were considered among the finest-quality wines of Portugal. The company later expanded the vineyard by acquiring the neighboring Quinta do Val dos Muros. At present, 109 of its 188 acres are planted, principally to Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz. In high-quality but non-declared vintages, fruit from Quinta do Panascal is used to produce a single-quinta vintage Porto.

About the Grape

Tinta Barroca

Used to make Port wines, this high yielding grape has very high sugar content, which makes wines with pronounced floral character, good structure and firm, ripe tannins.

Tinta Cão

This grape has blackberry, game and meaty aromas, and contributes longevity and exceptional elegance to the blend of Port wines.

Tinta Roriz

Tinta Roriz produces deep-colored grapes of moderate acidity which make bold wines with firm tannins, excellent complexity and distinctive resin-like fragrance.

Touriga Franca

This grape has high tannins and is very aromatic; it lends structure and balance to Port wines. It shows intense fresh red fruit, earth and flower aromas, and is very fruity on the palate.

Touriga Nacional

Touriga Nacional produces wine with finesse, body and warmth that is dark, concentrated, massively tannic and aromatic. It ages to show the complex aromas typically found in mature vintage port.