Decanter

All the elements necessary for long maturation are well-aligned here, starting with a pungent nose of open florals and rich plums, before rich, big and fleshy black fruits on the expansive palate.

Wine & Spirits Magazine

This '04 has a lovely perfume and energy in the structure that drives it forward... This is the most powerful wine we tasted from this vintage, only hinting at its more delicate complexities that may emerge with time.

Robert Parker

Release Price: $140
The 2004 Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port comes in with 94 grams per liter of residual sugar. This is currently being rereleased and it is a fine bargain. Wide open and expressive (at least with double decanting the night before), this is laced with a touch of bitter chocolate and underlying steel. It shows finesse and elegance, too, while the tannins calm down fairly well, at least after the decanting that it had. Winemaker David Guimaraens said to me that this 2004 was, for him, a "typical Vargellas...the single quinta star of the decade." It is not a superstar, but it is lovely, starting with its fine flavor and ending with its crisp edge. Showing some mature nuances, it has developed some complexity and has passed from the primary stages. It easily has the wherewithal to continue developing in the cellar. It isn't the most concentrated Porto, perhaps, but it is notable for its precision, freshness and the delicious, long and juicy finish. It should continue to age nicely for a few decades. It is approachable now (with some decanting), but not quite at its peak.
Drink Date: 2019 - 2045


Other houses in the Fladgate Partnership (Croft, Fonseca) are separately listed, but their 2015s are in this issue as well.

wine-pages.com

A much creamier character than the LBV, vinous too, black as well as red fruits. Nice earthiness. The sweetness and purity is excellent. So much pretty floral aroma and flavour here. The acidity and tannin starts to grip and play against the fruit into a long, poised finish.

For The Love Of Port

Tasted on three separate occasions, (two months apart) including a three day affair with one bottle. Vargellas exhibited a dark purple/ruby hue and a violet scented beauty with notes of spice and mocha, followed by a whiff of black pepper. The ’04 version is a very tasty crowd pleaser right at the
moment, full-bodied and in possession of a smooth mouthfeel that is very approachable. It has gobs of blue and blackberry fruit and plenty of acidity which provided synchronicity along with ripe tannins that added the backbone. This is a cellar worthy effort by Taylor’s Single Quinta and a longer finish with less heat, would have really driven up the score a few more points

Vin med Mouridsen

Mørk rubin med lysere brunlig kant, tæt. Solbær, mørke chokolade og lidt krydderurt i næsen. Ok med frugt og syre, fint balance, godt med bløde velintegrerede tanniner, krydret hale, fint potentiale (92).

Jancis Robinson

It's funny in a way that wines like this are mainly stocked by supermarkets when they are really of interest to wine geeks too and so I'd have thought they would find a market in independent wine shops. This cork was completely dried out, like that of its Fonseca single-quinta stablemate and no amount of piercing the cork would yield more than a tiny few drops. Very frustrating. But the nose, even of this small portion, was very deep and multilayered. Sweet with layers of ginger biscuit and a dry, still quite tannic, finish. Not ready, even if you could get into the bottle, but very promising. A little note of tar, liquorice, and great depth. Wait for this to reveal itself.

Vivino

(423 bedømmelser, 05-10-2026)