Current releases of Vintage Ports by TFP

[Roy Hersh]

I see that recent releases include a 2012 Vargellas and 2013 Fonseca Guimaraens. That is the only 2013 VP by The Fladgate Partnership. I am a bit surprised by their own split of Taylor (Vargellas) and Fonseca (Guimaraens) in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Typically they both declare in the same years. This strikes me as an odd, if not unique development.

Your thoughts on this dynamic?

[Eric Menchen]

Well, one of those is a Single Quinta Vintage Port (Vargellas), and the other is a second label not limited to a single quinta. I can certainly understand that in one year a quinta might produce great grapes and a different quinta might not (thinking Panascal). It doesn't appear they made either 2012 or 2013 Panascal, so maybe after underwhelming produce from there they decided to scrap together Guimaraens for both of those years?

[Jasper A.]

I see that recent releases include a 2012 Vargellas and 2013 Fonseca Guimaraens. That is the only 2013 VP by The Fladgate Partnership. I am a bit surprised by their own split of Taylor (Vargellas) and Fonseca (Guimaraens) in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Typically they both declare in the same years. This strikes me as an odd, if not unique development.

Your thoughts on this dynamic?

They chose a different strategy for the Taylor's: http://taylor.pt/en/news/release-quinta ... tage-port/
Going to cellar it themselfs. I think it has to do by the fact that non-classic vintage years are hard to sell as a young port. Especially after 2012 was also a non-classic year. 2012 Fonseca was still availeble for me as store a couple monhts ago, now the dutch importer has runout.

[Andy Velebil]

IIRC, 2013 had a major storm that blew through so it was probably easier to take small amounts of their very best grapes from many sources and still make the Guimaraens since it's a blend. Whereas that wasn't possible in that year from Vargellas which got hit by lots of rain at the wrong time. Just speculating there.