There are those in the know who rate the 1987 Taylor Vargellas as the best wine of the vintage. In the event, prior to 19 April 2020 I had never tried it. For inexplicable reasons, I have only ever found a single bottle at auction over the last three or four years and, consequently, I was until recently saving it for God-only-knows-what. Alas, civilisation is now five or six weeks into the cessation of life as it once was at the hands of a viral pandemic; and, convinced as I have become by hysterical voices in the public domain that my demise is imminent, I recently thought it advisable to consume this sole bottle before the coronavirus, or more likely boredom, consumes me. A wonderful bottle of port is now gone and I am, manifestly, still here. To my selfish mind, this is a very good outcome, indeed.
The 1987 Taylor Quinta de Vargellas would appear to be bricking and the bottle on offer presented wonderfully in the decanter as well as the glass. As to the magnificent bouquet, I should start by noting that I suspect the eight-hour decant which I had afforded this bottle was a couple of hours too long, insofar as the nose was a touch understated by the time one got to work in earnest. That stated, there can be no question that this is a magnificent port: smoke, wood, nutmeg and dried fruits – figs and apricots, in particular – tickled the olfactory nerve. The minerality of youth, a touch of which remains in evidence in this port, constituted no distraction from the more complex notes. At the mouth, old leather and the aforementioned dried fruits greeted the fore-palate, giving way to poppy-seed cake and lemon citrus midway through, with grape stem and gentle tannins becoming evident at the back. The delectable, lengthy finish offered a gentle, warming spearmint, enveloping everything from the oesophagus, on one side of the mouth, to the nose and even the sinuses on the other. Only the ear canals were left unaffected by this sensual conclusion - insofar as anything which stimulates the sinuses might be so characterised.
Whilst now drinking wonderfully, my estimation on the basis of the bottle reviewed here is that this port remains a decade or so from its peak, when it shall assuredly reach scores in the mid-nineties. As for those in the know: they are assuredly correct.
-92+ points