Taylor's Very Very Old Coronation Tawny Port Limited Edition
To mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III on 6th May, 2023, Taylor’s has set aside a very limited amount of Very Very Old Tawny Port to be bottled as a commemorative limited edition.
JAMES SUCKLING, 99pts, 21st April 2023 - This is an over 80-year-old blend with amazing toffee, caramel, tangy orange and light balsamic character. Medium body, very sweet, yet there’s a freshness and lifted state that gives it length and intensity. So long and flavourful. Rum and raisin. Shows real very old tawny character. It’s like you are in the aging cellars with dirt floors and old wooden vats. Drink or hold.
David Guimaraens, Taylor’s Head Winemaker, explains:
“The component wines for this limited-edition blend were drawn from among our finest and oldest cask aged Ports and were carefully selected for their balance and complexity. Decades of ageing in oak casks have given them a majestic power and depth while retaining a remarkable freshness and vitality.”
Taylor’s has an extensive and enviable library of very old Ports which represent the cream of their aged reserves and on very rare occasions these wines have been released in extremely limited quantities. These Tawny ports are a far cry from vintage port with very slow and gentle ageing in oak casks creating ports of extreme aromatic complexity with delightfully mellow structures.
Over the years, Taylor’s has released a number of very valuable, limited edition Ports of great age. These include the very rare SCION from 1855, Taylor’s 1863 Single Harvest Port - one of the last pre-Phylloxera wines to be offered for sale and The Platinum Jubilee VVO Tawny Port. The Taylor’s Very Very Old Tawny Port Coronation Edition is the latest of these very rare releases.
King Charles is the 15th Monarch to reign during the lifetime of Taylor’s and with just 1,500 bottles produced, quantities are extremely limited.
Colour of dark tea encircled by a crown of yellow gold. Subtle olive-green highlights on the rim are evidence of the wine’s great age. The nose is majestic and assured. Multiple intertwining dimensions and layers of flavour have evolved over decades of ageing in oak casks. A backdrop of cedary, balsamic aroma gives the wine a fresh, lifted character. This is overlaid by warmer notes of butterscotch, marzipan and vanilla as well as a fine mellow oakiness. The wine owes much of its seductive character to a magical blend of spice notes-nutmeg, clove and black pepper-which emerges as the wine opens up in the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with acidity and spirit both beautifully integrated, and there is the smooth silky texture which is the hallmark of the finest cask aged Ports. The intense, complex flavours linger into the seemingly endless finish. Elegant and graceful, this wine has reached perfect drinking age. David Guimaraens, Taylor’s Head winemaker
