Taylor’s releases 1969 Single Harvest tawny

Taylor’s has announced the release of the 1969 Single Harvest 50 year-old tawny Port, the latest in its range of limited edition Ports.

The 1969 is the sixth release so far in the Single Harvest series and is currently available in the UK through Taylor’s distributor Mentzendorff.

Adrian Bridge, Taylor’s managing director, said: “Taylor’s owes its leadership of the aged tawny category to its extensive reserves of very old Port maturing in oak cask. These allow it to offer the full range of 10, 20, 30 and 40 Year Old tawnies as well as rare Single Harvest Ports of interest to both the wine enthusiast and collector.

“Taylor’s 1969 Single Harvest Port is the sixth in a magnificent series of limited edition Ports, released when 50 years old. It is an absolutely exceptional wine, a superb example of the art of wood ageing refined by Taylor’s over the generations.”

The 1969 vintage had one of the highest winter rainfalls on record, followed by a hot July and August but the cool start to the summer meant harvesting did not begin until early October.

Aged for 50 years in oak casks at Taylor’s lodge in Gaia, the wine today is described as having a “deep mahogany” colour, “wild honey” and “cigar box aromas” on the nose and “perfectly calibrated palate…lifted by a fresh acidity,” with, “molasses, dried figs, sultanas and apricot confit”.