Taylor’s Port sommelier competition names winner
The winner of the inaugural Taylor’s Port Vintage Years UK Sommelier Challenge has been revealed: Roxane Dupuy, executive sommelier at Row on 5 in Savile Row, London. Richard Woodard reports on the competition and seminar.
Dupuy was one of 20 entrants who gathered in Berry Bros. & Rudd’s historic Napoleon Cellar on 14 July for the first edition of the competition, designed to allow the UK’s top sommeliers to demonstrate their vintage Port expertise.
After a seminar on vintage Port given by David Guimaraens, technical director and head winemaker at Taylor’s Port, including a masterclass in using Port tongs, the sommeliers faced a blind tasting challenge: six vintage Ports from six different decades, for which they were tasked with writing tasting notes, identifying the vintage years with justification, and proposing food pairings from their own menus.
The six Ports, which have now been revealed, spanned a 52-year period from 1970 to 2022, including four ‘classic’ Taylor’s declarations – 1970, 1985, 1994 and 2016 – alongside a single quinta vintage from signature Taylor’s property Vargellas (2004) and the 2022 edition of Taylor’s new Sentinels vintage Port concept, focused on the company’s quintas in the Pinhão Valley.
During the seminar, Guimaraens discussed the many aspects of creating a vintage Port, telling his audience: “We want you to know vintage Ports better than we know them – that’s the goal.”
He outlined the differences between ‘ripening’ and ‘concentrating’ vintages. The former – cooler, fresher years such as 1963, 1977, 1994, 2000, 2007 and 2016 – tend to be more attractive when young, hanging onto their fruit for longer, while the latter – including 1966, 1970, 1985, 1997, 2003 and 2017 – typically close down earlier because of their relative lack of fruit, and take longer to come around.
Guimaraens cited the examples of 2000 and 2003: while the former, as a ‘ripening’ year, had freshness and elegance, the wines are now starting to to lose their colour; meanwhile, the 2003s are emerging from their sulky teenage phase, he said. “They’re now 22 years old – they’re still a bit raw, but they’re now showing the potential they have. If you have the chance, drink the 2000s now and keep the 2003s.”
Dupuy wins a two-night trip to Porto for two people staying at The Yeatman Hotel, including meals and a private tasting with David Guimaraens, as well as a selection of Taylor’s vintage Port. The four runners-up will also be awarded prizes.
Full competition result:
- Winner: Roxane Dupuy, executive sommelier, Row on 5
- Runner-up: Natasha Senina, head sommelier, Chewton Glen
- Third: Danielle Greaves, sommelier, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
- Fourth: Roberto Zanca, head sommelier, Prithvi
- Fifth: Jacopo Maroni, head sommelier, The Braywood Restaurant
A selection of the winning entries, including tasting notes and food pairings, will soon be displayed on the Taylor’s Port website, aimed at “other sommeliers looking for inspiration or consumers wondering how best to enjoy a treasured bottle”.
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During the competition, db tasted through the six vintage Ports included in the blind tasting with David Guimaraens. Here is his expert commentary on all six wines:
Taylor’s Vintage 1970: “It’s lost that density and the intensity of fruit, but the bottle maturity, the bottle age is still wonderful. It was a very hot year. The 1977s had less colour, less structure, but were very elegant, and the 1975s paled away and haven’t held on. When you get to this age, I’m not so fussed about what to pair it with – but not a big chocolate cake. Perhaps cheese? But try it first or just drink it on its own.”
Taylor’s Vintage 1985: “The best of the 1980s – 1985 is a bit overshadowed because it was a very tricky time in the trade, with a number of wines tainted by problems – bacterial problems. Hygiene practices were not as good then – we were not affected for vintage Port, but in lesser wines. This is at that 20-40 [year] stage where it’s got maturity, but it’s still got a lot of fruit to it. This is what a great year is all about.”
Taylor’s Vintage 1994: “This was a magical, magical vintage. I’ll never forget being in the vineyard. We had the most balanced year of water, of heat – I remember pre-harvest, walking around tasting the grapes. This wine went through a teenage phase between about 2010 and 2021/22. This is like watching your children growing up – it has the Taylor tannins, and the Taylor tannins are quite firm.”
Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas 2004: “This to me is my reference as to what vintage Port should be. Yes, vintage Port has got to have colour and structure to age, but this has something which is more important, and that is definition. I remember tasting the ’04s with Natasha Bridge and wondering: is this good enough to declare? But we didn’t have the guts to do a back-to-back declaration [after 2003]. This is one of the wines that I think is so easy to enjoy, and I hope to repeat it.”
Taylor’s Vintage 2016: “This is the ultimate example of the ripening years, and it’s still holding onto this vibrant fruit. On the palate, it’s really fresh. You don’t get heat here. Look at the definition: this will never be a monster of a vintage. Like 1977, these years hold onto their fruit for longer, and their transition to bottle maturity is much finer and much safer. It won’t become a naughty teenager like the hot years.”
Taylor’s Sentinels 2022: “Here you get pure Pinhão Valley fruit, but remember ’22 was the most arid year that I’ve worked through in all my years. For what was a very dry, arid, hot year, this is remarkably fresh. That’s what Sentinels is.”
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