Vallado Vintage Port 2017

Rated with 95 Points from Robert Parker.

"The 2017 Vintage Port was bottled a few weeks before this tasting. It is a field blend from old vines aged only in stainless steel. Very dry, it comes in with 83 grams of residual sugar. There's a big hit of fruit up front, but then it shows off unusual power for Vallado Port - this might be the most tannic that I've seen from Vallado. Dense and concentrated, it doesn't seem at all like an unoaked Port this year. The big, tight and gripping finish suggests that this muscular Port can age for decades. This year, if this is not as expressive and as approachable young as it typically is, it is a step up in other ways. It is going to need time, though."

There were 3,300 bottles produced, plus 200 magnums.

Mark Squires