Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Porto 2008
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Portugal / Douro Valley Porto
Single-quinta, or single-vineyard, vintage Porto is produced only in exceptional years in which a general vintage is not declared. Quinta de Vargellas, celebrated as one of the top 100 vineyards in the world, has been part of the Taylor Fladgate estate for more than a century. It has the highest percentage of old vines of any quinta in the Douro, with 60% over 75 years old. All grapes undergo the traditional foot treading method, ensuring their fullest expression. Fermentation is halted by the addition of grape spirits before all the residual sugar has been fermented, creating a sweet, fortified wine. Following two years in wood, the wines are bottled unfiltered and will continue maturing for decades.
Harvest Note
Flowering occurred under wet and cold conditions and, as a result, poor set affected all grape varieties, resulting in lower yields, but with great concentration of flavor. The temperatures for the 2008 growing season were lower than average. The final ripening of the grapes was greatly enhanced by rain falling between the September 4 and 7, and a further downpour just before the vintage started. A key characteristic of the 2008 vintage were the hot days combined with cold nights--perfect weather conditions not only for the final ripening of the grapes, but also for the fermentation rates. This provided wonderful freshness of fruit, complexity and great structure.
Tasting Note
The wine is inky black in color. The nose opens on intensely concentrated black fruit laced with raspberry and plum. Around this dense, fruity core are floral and herbal scents. Supported by a tight wrap of thick tannins, the palate explodes with concentrated ripe black fruit flavor. This wine manages to combine the massive structure and powerful fruitiness of the 2009 harvest with elegance, poise and finesse.
Technical Data
GRAPES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
APPELLATION: Douro
ACIDITY: 3.98 g/l
ABV: 20.5%
AGING: 2 years in neutral oak
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 100.7 g/l
Unique Selling Points
- A single-quinta vintage Porto from one of the most revered vineyards in the world: Quinta de Vargellas
- Taylor Fladgate vintage Porto is one of the most collectible, ageworthy Portos available.
- Combines the massive structure and powerful fruitiness of the 2009 harvest with elegance, poise and finesse
- 100% foot-trodden
- Will develop for decades in the bottle
“We focus on making vintage quality from all of ourgrapes. As a result, we will produce the highest-qualityPort in every category.”
Adrian Bridge, CEO
About the Grape
Tinta Amarela
Tinta Amarela makes wines with intensely perfumed aromas of blackberry and tea, bold structure, deep color and excellent depth.
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.
