Opaque black in the center with a narrow purple edge. Without compromise, Taylor is elegant, precise and precise. The nose is spun with very fine and linear fruit, heady and complex but limited by a graphite minerality. Quinta da Vargellas has imprinted its signature scent of violets, hanging from the veil like a fragrant veil, and discreet earthy notes of citrus fruits, wild herbs and gumcistus. The nose is still reserved but the depth and background are impressive, as are the hints of complexity that have yet to emerge over time. The palate is held together by soft, muscular tannins, firm and gripping on the finish, and ends with a powerful surge of crisp, pure black fruit.
“Taylor’s Vintage 2011 has a multifaceted, Pandora’s Box of a nose that is mercurial in the glass: cassis at first before blackberry and raspberry politely ask it to move aside, followed by wilted rose petals and Dorset plum. The palate is sweet and sensual on the entry, plush and opulent, with copious black cherries, boysenberry and cassis fruit, curiously more reminiscent of Fonseca! It just glides across the palate with a mouth-coating, glycerine-tinged finish that has a wonderful lightness of touch, demonstrating how Vintage Port is so much more accessible in its youth nowadays. But don’t let that fool you into dismissing the seriousness or magnitude of this outstanding Taylor’s.” - Robert Parker
