The port house of Taylor holds some of the region’s most extensive reserves of very old cask ports and, in recent years, the house has released some remarkable special bottlings of these exceptionally old and rare wines.  The latest release is their Very Very Old White Port.

This is the oldest white Port that Taylor have ever released, and the first white Very Very Old Port (VVOP). To be classified as VVOP, the wines have to be over 80 years old, and the classification was created expressly for wines of this nature. 

The blend of this particular release contains wines that date back as far as 1896, and all of its component parts will have been put into cask when there was no electricity across much of the Douro Valley and grapes were still all trodden by foot in granite lagares.

Casks of this age require considerable care and attention to keep them in pristine condition and Taylor’s are masters of this art. David Guimaraens, Head Winemaker and one of the region’s most knowledgeable characters, is their custodian. A man who lives and breathes Port, he comments: “When you’re working with Port wines that have been ageing for decades, you’re making decisions that honour the work of people who are no longer here…Time has given this wine extraordinary depth while preserving remarkable elegance and freshness. Achieving that balance is what makes wines like this so rare.”

The wine is presented in its own bespoke decanter and presentation case, and will be shipping to the UK this autumn. Quantities are understandably very limited.