Jancis Robinson:
"The 2016s seemed to me a fine showcase for the continued sophistication of port (and Douro) wine making. They were on the whole beautifully made, with the tannins so necessary for a wine as long-lived as port almost hidden in most cases by a massive welter of ripe fruit. These ports weren't always extremely sweet, and indeed their abiding characteristic was freshness, perhaps the consequence of a relatively late harvest (in the best cases) when nights were relatively cool.
The 2016 vintage ports also seemed particularly good at showing the characteristic individual personalities of each offering (although admittedly we did not taste blind). And I was particularly struck by the exceptional depth of colour in the Symington wines."
Adrian Bridge:
“The keynotes of 2016 are purity and refinement. The Vintage Ports of the three houses are stylistically distinct but all display elegance and poise, a wonderful purity of fruit and tannins of great quality.” He added: “Yields at the harvest were below average. The amount of 2016 Vintage Port offered will be relatively restricted and allocations will be tight. The 2016s are likely to become rarities in future, particularly given the trend towards enjoying Vintage Ports young.”
David Guimaraens:
“Two factors stand out in 2016. Heavy rainfall in spring meant that the vines had plenty of water throughout the summer. Secondly, the ripening season started relatively late and lasted well into September. This led to very gradual and even ripening of the crop with all elements in perfect balance at the time of the harvest. Picking started later than usual on all of our houses’ estates, particularly those located in the Pinhão Valley.Harvesting conditions at the end of September and early October were perfect, with cool nights contributing to long fermentations and gentle, complete extraction. As a result the wines are solidly structured with firm, well integrated tannins and display very fine fruit quality.”
We offer all the leading wines from all the leading port houses, as usual production is limited and priority will be given to existing customers.
To read more about the vintage please visit http://www.decanter.com/wine-news/croft-fonseca-taylors-sandeman-join-port-2016-declarations-388863/
Please let us have your order as soon as possible. Order Here
William Frazier
Images from the 2016 Harvest at Taylors including grape treading, sunrise on the Duro, the Duro Valley and Adrian Taylor inspecting the grapes (good looking ones too) at the winery reception below.To order please copy the order form and email to customerservices@frazierswine.co.uk or call Steve on 0121 704 3415
