02/10/2026 - 2024 Vintage Port: 98-point Fonseca, 97-point Taylors, 91

It is easy to forget that the last generally declared Port vintage was 2017! Although there have been some rather good individual declarations since then, this is the longest period since 1945 without a general declaration.

The Fladgate Partnership’s Managing Director, Adrian Bridge, described the 2024 vintage ports as follows. “The keynotes of 2024 are purity and refinement. The Vintage Ports of the three houses are stylistically distinct but all display elegance and poise, a wonderful purity of fruit and tannins of great quality.”

David Guimaraens, The Fladgate’s Partnership’s Technical Director and Head Winemaker, commenting on the wines: “From a small harvest the resulting Vintage Ports show incredible freshness, complexity, and a wonderful sense of balance.”

Yields at the harvest were below average – indeed this is the smallest and rarest declaration from Taylor’s, Fonseca & Croft in its history, and given the current trend towards enjoying vintage ports young, these are likely to become rarities in the future. Like other ripening years - 2016, 2007, 2000, 1992, 1977, etc - these Ports will age with such freshness and elegance. The purity of fruit makes them so special and enjoyable young, but with powerful quality tannins that will see them age for 50 years or more!

Taylor's 2024 Vintage Port, 6x750ml

£396.00 In Bond

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The 2024 Vintage Port from Taylor's is the first Declaration for six years and the smallest release (5,000 cases). It has an impressive, intense nose with layers of blackberry, blueberry, inkwell and black plum, very complex and beautifully refined. The palate is medium-bodied with a striking, black pepper-infused entry, a killer line of acidity, delivering this Port House's trademark structure and grip. It gains depth towards the finish and the tongue tingles long after it has departed. This is a Vintage Port destined to give decades of drinking pleasure.
Drink 2035-2085
97 points, Neal Martin, Vinous.com July 2026

Darkest crimson with soft purplish rim. Less explosive than some 2024 ports but with an immediate impression of finesse and concentration. Black, black fruit that is so intense it becomes savoury on the palate. Many layers of the finest tannins so that the whole is firmly built. Great purity and length. Chiselled without being lean.
19/20 points, Julia Harding MW, Jancis Robinson.com

A blend from Terra Feita and Junco, Taylor’s main quintas in the Pinhão Valley, along with Quinta de Vargellas in the Douro Superior. 5,000 cases in total. Deep, opaque blue-black colour; open and aromatic like the Sentinels but with another dimension, ripe, floral, racy and airy (the first time that I think I have used these words to describe Vintage Port); rich and supple with vibrant yet beautifully defined berry and damson fruit backed by firm, fine-grained schistous tannins, not big in the scheme of things but so pure and precise with a long, grippy finish. This wine has outstanding finesse which you can appreciate and enjoy now but it has the balance and poise to last and last.
18.5/20 points, Richard Mayson

Fonseca 2024 Vintage Port, 6x750ml

£396.00 In Bond

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The 2024 Vintage Port is the first release for seven years, and the smallest release at just 3,900 cases. It has a gorgeous nose that is so typical of Fonseca. It is more exotic and Mediterranean than its sibling, Taylor's, blackberry intermingling with black olive tapenade, Provençal herbs, garrigue and melted tar. Superb definition. The palate is supremely well balanced with luscious black fruit tinged with white pepper and spice box. Very harmonious, with outstanding weight yet ethereal control and harmony on the finish, this is one of the greatest Fonseca releases in recent years.
Drink 2035-2085
98 points, Neal Martin, Vinous.com July 2026

A blend from Santo António and Cruzeiro in the Pinhão Valley with more fruit from Panascal downstream, 3,600 cases in total. Seemingly the deepest in colour of the Fladgate quartet combining perfume and glorious black fruit concentration on the nose (there’s a touch of dark chocolate here); similarly rich and profound on the palate, plummy fruit backed by firm, ripe sinewy tannins, almost explosive and beautifully structured, leading to a peacock’s tail of a finish that goes on and on. Still a little stern and raw, this is a wow of a wine (I wrote ‘wow’ twice in my notes) that combines the purity and finesse that is the hallmark of 2024 with power and depth. This will be a long-term keeper.
19.5/20 points, Richard Mayson

More restrained than the Croft, but it opens up to violets and blueberries. Floral. Pretty, with underlying power. Great freshness and extremely pure fruit. Fine, chalky tannins with a lovely dusty finish. Fragrant and dry on the finish.
18/20 points, Julia Harding MW, Jancis Robinson.com

Croft 2024 Vintage Port, 6x750ml

£318.00 In Bond

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The 2024 Vintage Port from Croft comes from their Quinta da Roêda estate, six varieties all foot-trodden in granite lagares. It is flattering on the nose, with a mixture of red and black plum, violet, a little peppermint and fresh prune. Quite forward and expressive, though not as complex as, say, Taylor's or Fonseca. The palate is medium-bodied, with touches of curry leaf, marjoram and cinnamon infusing the black fruit. Very smooth on the finish and replete with the vintage's pepperiness, give this five or six years in bottle.
Drink 2033-2055
91 points, Neal Martin, Vinous.com July 2026

Based on Quinta da Roêda just upstream from Pinhão, just 1,600 cases declared in total. Deep youthful crimson and rather more demure on the nose (compared with the two Taylor wines above) with soft, seductive plummy fruit underlying as well as something slightly exotic; plump and opulent initially on the palate, verging on luscious with lovely plum, and damson fruit backed by soft, supple, ripe tannins leading to a long, firm linear finish, with a juicy jelly bean quality. Exuberant yet precise in style in common with most wines from 2024. Drink over the medium term.
17.5/20 points, Richard Mayson

Darkest crimson with soft purplish rim. Much more lifted and red-fruited than the Sentinels. More rock rose, more openly aromatic and with blueberry sweetness. Juicy and firm at the same time, extremely fresh, smooth and vibrant. The tannins are silky! Seems almost light for a port but I think that’s misleading, as the brightness and sweetness mask the structure.
17/20 points, Julia Harding MW, Jancis Robinson.com

02/10/2026 - 2024 Vintage Port: 98-point Fonseca, 97-point Taylors, 91-point Croft

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