Taylor´s SCION Port (1855)

Bottled in hand-blown crystal , SCION is among the finest and rarest wines in the world. In 2008, Taylor´s winemaker David Guimaraens heard about a unique port wine in the cellar of a family of producers in the village of Prezegueda, which had been allowed to mature peacefully since 1855. Guimaraens took a sample of the port wine and said the quality was amazing. When the last member of the family died without a male heir, the rest of the family decided to sell this treasure to the Taylor house. Two of the barrels were moved on 13 January 2010 to Taylor´s cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia. In the autumn of 2010, this unique port wine was launched on the market. This is a one-off bottle that cannot be repeated in the future. 100/100 Neil Martin: A clear dark brown colour that looks like a mature Tokaji, with thick tears in the glass. It has a very intense, almost honeyed bouquet with allspice, singed leather, pressed rose petals, molasses, mint and a touch of dried fig. The oxidation is minimal, which is quite remarkable for its age, a sense of ebullience and joie-de-vivre bursting forth. The palate is full-bodied with intense honeyed fruits, touches of fig, date and liquorice vying for attention, biting acidity that cuts through the intense fruit. This is unbelievably fresh and vibrant with an almost Sauternes-like quality on the honey-glazed, hazelnut-tinged finish. It has unbelievable length. Simply stunning.