Taylor's

Taylor's wines: buy at the best price

Founded in 1692, Taylor's is one of the oldest Port houses still in operation and the only one among the great historic British houses to have remained entirely independent and family-owned throughout its history. Entirely dedicated to Port wine, it produces no other wine and concentrates its expertise on the noblest styles. Its vintages, assembled from its own quintas of Vargellas, Terra Feita and Junco, are considered the absolute benchmark of the category, combining restrained power, elegance and exceptional longevity. The house is also behind several major innovations: the first dry white Port with Chip Dry in 1934, the first tawnies with age indication, and the invention of Late Bottled Vintage in 1970. Its emblem, the mysterious 4XX, has adorned its bottles for generations.

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Taylor's Porto Vintage 2000
2 in stock
115220
Red
75cl
95/100
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Outside France | Portugal - Porto

Taylor's Porto Vintage 2000

€108.00 inc-VAT per bottle
€90.00 ex-VAT

History of Taylor's

It all began in 1692 when English merchant Job Bearsley established his trading firm in Vila Nova de Gaia. The "4XX" brand mark still used today is believed to stem from a wool-bale marking associated with the family's earlier mercantile activities. Joseph Taylor joined the firm in 1816, followed by John Fladgate and Morgan Yeatman; in 1838, the partnership became Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman, a name the house retains to this day.

The acquisition of Quinta de Vargellas in 1893 was the most pivotal chapter in this history. Celebrated since the 1820s as a source of extraordinary Ports, the estate had been devastated by phylloxera, its output reduced to just a few pipes. The massive reconstruction was led by Frank Yeatman, nicknamed "Smiler," who oversaw fifty harvests before retiring in 1949. His son Dick—the first British Port shipper to earn a viticulture degree in Montpellier—and his cousin Stanley led the firm from 1923, introducing numerous innovations. In the 1920s at Vargellas, they separated grape varieties into distinct blocks and vinified them individually, a revolutionary move for the era. In the mid-1930s came Chip Dry, the world's first dry white Port. In 1948, the house acquired Fonseca. In 1958, it introduced the first single-quinta Port with Quinta de Vargellas. Taylor's then launched the first 10- and 20-Year-Old Tawnies and, in 1970, created Late Bottled Vintage with the 1965 vintage. Following Dick Yeatman's passing in 1966, the firm passed to Alistair Robertson, his widow's nephew. Today, Adrian Bridge serves as CEO and David Guimaraens directs the winemaking team. The family group, The Fladgate Partnership, also encompasses Fonseca, Croft, Krohn, and The Yeatman hotel.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Taylor's

Quinta de Vargellas is the house's crowning jewel. Located in the Douro Superior on the wild, steep slopes of the eastern valley, it carries an "A" rating—the highest in the Douro vineyard register—and stands among the world's renowned vineyards. Its warmer, drier climate, sun-baked schist soils, and isolation give it an unmistakable profile: aromas of violet and wild flowers, energetic tannins, and distinct elegance. In 1999, Taylor's acquired the neighboring 46-hectare property, Quinta de São Xisto. Only a fraction of Vargellas—five plots representing about a tenth of the estate—is planted with the oldest vines, aged 80 to 120 years, reserved for Vinha Velha.

The second cornerstone lies in the Pinhão Valley, at the heart of the historic 1756 demarcation. Quinta de Terra Feita, covering 116 hectares with around sixty planted, arranges its terraces within a natural amphitheater, contributing structure, density, and dark fruit character. The Quintas do Junco, da Casa Nova, and da Eira Velha complete this ensemble, all situated within the original demarcation and holding feitoria status, the highest classification for Port vineyards. These properties differ in altitude, aspect, wind and sun exposure, and grape plantings, frequently consisting of old co-planted vines featuring traditional Douro varieties. All are established on the region's characteristic foliated schist, where vine roots dig deep in search of water.

Winemaking at Taylor's

The house preserves traditional methods wherever they enhance quality. For wines intended for Vintage Ports, grapes are foot-trodden in granite lagares, a slow, methodical process that enables gentle extraction of tannins and color without harshness. Fermentations are carried out with native estate yeasts, handled variety by variety and plot by plot.

Fortification with grape spirit occurs at the exact moment chosen by David Guimaraens and his team. The Vintage Ports are then aged for approximately two years in large oak vats, often holding 20,000 liters, before being bottled unfiltered to allow them to develop for decades. Declaring a vintage demands exacting standards: Taylor's declares on average only three vintages per decade, traditionally on April 23rd, St. George's Day. Tawnies follow the opposite course: they mature slowly in seasoned casks in the lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia, where gradual oxidation develops aromas of dried fruit, walnut, and spice prior to blending and bottling. Chip Dry white Port is made primarily from Malvasia Fina from the Douro Superior in a distinctly dry profile.

Cuvées of Taylor's

Taylor's Vintage Port (Classic Vintage): the absolute pinnacle, declared only in exceptional years and blended from the finest wines of Vargellas, Terra Feita, and Junco. It unites restrained power, tannic density, and an elegance that defines its status as the benchmark of the category. Capable of aging for fifty years and beyond.

Vargellas Vinha Velha: produced exclusively in the finest years for the quinta in limited quantities of a few hundred cases, sourced from 80- to 120-year-old vines across five historic plots. Extreme concentration, rare aromatic complexity, and endless length. One of the world's most coveted Ports.

Quinta de Vargellas Vintage: a single-quinta Port bottled in years when a classic Vintage is not declared. More precocious and often approachable in its youth, it nonetheless ages remarkably well. Purple-black hue with an expressive nose of cassis and cherry, complemented by the signature floral violet notes of Vargellas.

Sentinels Vintage: a recent release based on parcel selection across the four Pinhão Valley properties—Terra Feita, Junco, Casa Nova, and Eira Velha—all holding feitoria classification. Its name pays tribute to the marcos de feitoria, the 335 granite pillars erected between 1758 and 1761 to demarcate the finest production zones. Harmonious, textured, and marked by fine tannins, it sits between Vargellas and Terra Feita in the house hierarchy.

Quinta de Terra Feita Vintage: the single-quinta Port from the Pinhão Valley, fleshier and more immediate than Vargellas, highlighting ripe dark fruit, licorice, and spices, backed by solid tannic support.

Late Bottled Vintage: the category pioneered by Taylor's in 1970, for which it remains the benchmark. Sourced from a single vintage and aged four to six years in wood, it is ready to drink upon release without decanting. Notes of dark fruit, chocolate, and spice with a generous structure.

First Estate Reserve: a reserve Port crafted from estate-grown wines, more structured and deeper than a classic Ruby, with extended maturation in wooden vats that brings roundness and complexity.

Select Reserve: a rich and velvety reserve blend showing blackberry, plum, and cocoa, well-suited for after dinner or paired with blue cheeses.

Select Ruby and Fine Ruby: the house's Rubies, youthful, fresh, and vividly fruity with cherry and red berry notes. Supple and approachable, they serve as an ideal entry into the Taylor's style and work exceptionally well in cocktails.

Taylor's 10-Year-Old Tawny: fully aged in seasoned oak casks, this is one of the most respected 10-Year-Old Tawnies on the market. Amber hue, aromas of dried fruit, honey, and floral hints, with a luscious and fresh palate. Serve lightly chilled.

Taylor's 20-Year-Old Tawny: the ideal balance between fruit and oxidative character, showcasing notes of walnut, fig, caramel, and sweet spice, with a silky texture and a lengthy finish. Often regarded as offering the finest value and drinking pleasure among mature tawnies.

Taylor's 30-Year-Old Tawny: richer and more complex, featuring notes of coffee, bitter orange, fine woods, and candied fruits, underpinned by lively acidity that keeps the palate vibrant.

Taylor's 40-Year-Old Tawny: mahogany color with green reflections, offering remarkable aromatic intensity and extreme concentration acquired through four decades in wood. A contemplative wine with extraordinary length.

Golden Age 50-Year-Old Tawny: launched to celebrate the golden age of Port, this blend with an average age of half a century combines an almost syrupy density with vibrant freshness, showing candied citrus peel, salted caramel, and spices.

Victory Port 80-Year-Old: an exceedingly rare Tawny, blended from reserves with an average age of eighty years, displaying breathtaking intensity and complexity.

VVOP (Very Very Old Port): the pinnacle of the house's historic Port collection, sourced from casks preserved across generations in the Gaia cellars. Ultra-limited production. A white edition, VVOP White, applies the same principle to very old white Ports.

Fine Tawny: the most accessible blended Tawny, aged for several years in wood. Rounded, nutty, and inviting, it provides an ideal introduction to the oxidative Port style.

Historical Collection and Single Harvest Collection: limited-edition series dedicated to single-harvest tawnies bottled on demand after decades in cask. They include the legendary Single Harvest 1961, 1896, and 1863—the latter having set milestones in international auction history.

Scion: a historic Port discovered by the house, dating from a 19th-century harvest and preserved intact for more than a century and a half prior to bottling. A living testament to pre-phylloxera Port.

Kingsman Edition: a very old Tawny created in partnership with the film franchise of the same name, presented in a collectible decanter. The Platinum Jubilee and Coronation Ports complete the range of commemorative releases produced for major British royal milestones.

Chip Dry: the world's first dry white Port, introduced in 1934 and produced primarily from Malvasia Fina in the Douro Superior. Crisp with notes of almond, citrus, and white flowers, it is served well-chilled as an aperitif or in a long drink with tonic—a combination that has since become a classic.

Fine White: a softer, fruit-forward style of white Port with notes of honey, peach, and candied fruit, served chilled or in cocktails.

Porto City Edition and London City Edition: special travel-retail exclusive editions presenting the house style in packaging honoring the two cities that shaped the history of Port wine.

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