Taylor Fladgate Very Old Single Harvest Port 1968 (750ML)

98 WS / 94 WA / 17.5 JR

Taylor’s 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’s has decided to make a limited release, each year, of a Single Harvest Port made 50 years previously. - Taylor Fladgate

Pretty gorgeous from the get go, with toasted sesame, green tea, walnut husk, pistachio cream and peanut toffee notes seamlessly layered atop each other, framed by a subtle singed alder hint. Everything glides with grace through the finish, like a gently wafting plume of white smoke off of burning incense. Drink now. 750 cases made. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

The 1968 Very Old Single Harvest Tawny Port comes in with 173 grams per liter of residual sugar. Taylor's started its ongoing 50-year Colheita program with the 1964 (or, as they prefer to say, "single harvest tawny port"). This is the newest release, scheduled to be in the marketplace by the Fall of this year. It was bottled in 2017 with a bar-top cork. It is hard to go wrong with any of the wines Taylor's has been releasing in this series—they all have something special to offer. We can debate endlessly which is better—often, the style difference is more important than a minor qualitative difference. This year's style shows finesse and more finesse. It is relatively elegant for an old tawny, with a controlled, sweet edge. Hints of brandy do periodically pop up, but they are not hard or harsh. It lingers beautifully on the finish as fine, old Tawnies do. The finish is often the best part of these oldies. This will last indefinitely, but it is meant to drink on release and needs no aging. Most do not hold Tawnies with bar-top corks. Drink it around 60 degrees Fahrenheit—and definitely not too warm. Most producers recommend 58 to 62 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on your preferences and the wine. - Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

Green-rimmed, brownish deep tawny. Very fruity, clean nose with only the merest hint of spirit and lots of rancio. Excellent balance of sweetness and tanginess. Vanilla and orange peel. Very long, walnut-flavoured finish. Satisfying. A useful present for those celebrating a fiftieth birthday this year? - Jancis Robinson