September 17, 2025 (New York, NY) — Taylor Fladgate Port announces the release of its new Taylor Fladgate Sentinels Vintage Port (SRP $70.00), a unique blend crafted from wines produced on Taylor Fladgate’s historic properties in and around the Pinhão Valley. This central region of the Douro Valley is one of the most historically significant areas for Port wine, recognized as the source of the finest Ports since the inception of the Port trade. The 2022 Taylor Fladgate Sentinels Vintage Port will be available for purchase in California,Florida and New York, beginning this month. The four estates—Terra Feita, Junco, Casa Nova, and Eira Velha—are all located within the original 1756 demarcation and were awarded Feitoria status, the highest classification for Port vineyards. The name Sentinels is inspired by the granite pillars known as “marcos de feitoria,” which stand guard along the demarcation line that separates the highest quality Port areas; this is where many of the Taylor Fladgate estates are situated. A total of 335 stone pillars were placed between 1758 and 1761 to mark this prestigious area.
Each of these historic properties offers distinct characteristics in terms of altitude, orientation, sun, wind exposure, and mix of grape varietals. Despite their individuality, they share a distinctive ‘Pinhão Valley’ style–rich, deep, and powerfully fruity–that ensures a harmonious blend while each contributes uniquely to the wine’s overall complexity and aroma.
“We are pleased to introduce Taylor Fladgate Sentinels Vintage Port to our collection,” says Adrian Bridge, Managing Director of Taylor Fladgate. “This release underscores our commitment to producing exceptional Ports that honor the legacy of our historic estates. The Taylor Fladgate Sentinels blend is a celebration of our past and a testament to our dedication to quality, offering wine enthusiasts a unique blend that encapsulates the essence of the Pinhão Valley.”
The blend for Sentinels Vintage Port is based on ‘parcel selection,’ a meticulous process of choosing wines from specific plots on each estate. Like Taylor Fladgate’s Single Quinta Vintage Ports, the Sentinels Vintage Ports will be crafted in years that do not produce a classic Taylor Fladgate Vintage. These vintages yield wines with the potential to age and improve in bottle, yet are approachable and enjoyable when young.
Unlike Single Quinta Vintage Ports, which reflect the character of a single vineyard estate, Sentinels Vintage Port represents a harmonious fusion of wines from Taylor Fladgate’s four heritage properties, located in the heart of the world’s oldest demarcated wine region.
TASTING NOTES
Deep purple black core with a narrow purple rim. An explosion of powerful woodland fruit, overlaid with a rich layer of blackcurrant, dark plum and cherries that jump out of the glass. The woodland fruit aromas are infused with subtle notes of dark cherry, hints of rockrose, a touch of mint and beautiful perfumed rose petals.
The fruit is elegant and understated concealing the wine’s vigor and energy. On the palate the wine displays incredible freshness, purity of fruit and an attractive leanness, with a hint of lavender and herbal aromas. Laser focused berry fruits of damsons, plums and black cherries continue to build into the very long finish.
“The creation of Taylor Fladgate Sentinels Vintage Port is a tribute to the unique terroir of the Pinhão Valley,” says David Guimaraens, Taylor Fladgate’s Head Winemaker. “Each estate contributes its own character to the blend, resulting in a wine that is both complex and harmonious. It’s a true reflection of the rich heritage and meticulous craftsmanship at Taylor Fladgate.”
ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL QUINTAS
Quinta de Terra Feita
A traditional component of Taylor Fladgate’s classic Vintage Ports, the wines of Quinta de Terra Feita are full-bodied, powerful, and full of rich berry fruit flavor. They provide depth and volume to the blend. Located on the warm lower slopes of the Pinhão Valley, Terra Feita is one of the oldest port estates.
Already identified as a source of the finest ports in the 1757 classification of Douro vineyards, Terra Feita has supplied Taylor’s with outstanding wines since the 1890’s. Acquired by Taylor Fladgate in 1974, the property has been the site of pioneering work in batch planting and vineyard landscaping.
Quinta do Junco
Quinta do Junco is another famous old Pinhão Valley estate which by 1761 had achieved ‘feitoria’ status, then the highest classification for a port vineyard. It was added to the Taylor’s stable in 1997 and contributes to the Taylor Vintage Port blend in a small but increasingly important way. Its wines are massive in scale, lending an additional layer of density and structure to the blend. Occupying a steep but open south facing hillside to the west of the Pinhão river, the vineyards of Quinta do Junco are well exposed to both sun and wind, benefiting from long hours of sunlight but avoiding the intense heat of less well aerated locations. A large area of the property was replanted by Taylor’s in vertical rows, a system which has benefits for both wine quality and the environment. However, the estate also includes 15 hectares of very old vines planted on traditional walled terraces.
Quinta da Casa Nova
Quinta da Casa Nova, located in Gouvães do Douro, is a historic estate that forms part of the first demarcation of the Douro region from 1756. The 17-hectare property was acquired by the company in 1998–along with the purchase of Quinta do Junco–and boasts a rich vineyard planted in 1997, predominantly with Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Barroca, later complemented with Touriga Francesa. Among the white varieties, Viosinho, Malvasia Fina, Gouveio, and Arinto shine. It is an excellent property situated on a mid-slope, providing protection during the hotter years, with the added advantage of its north-facing exposure.
Quinta da Eira Velha
Quinta da Eira Velha is one of the oldest and finest estates in the Douro Valley. It is believed that vines have been cultivated at Eira Velha for over 600 years. The vineyard and buildings occupy a spectacular location on a southeast-facing slope between 160 and 390 meters above the confluence of the Douro River with its tributary, the Pinhão River. The 50-hectare property was acquired by the company in 2007.
NOTES ON THE 2022 VITICULTURAL YEAR
The dormancy period between November and February was extremely dry, with only 78 millimeters of rainfall recorded. The average for this period is much more in the order of 370 millimeters. Fortunately, March was wet with 75 millimeters of rain which was very important for the growing season to start with some water.
Bud burst occurred on March 20, which is later than normal, and Spring was dry. When flowering started on May 19, the winery continued to register very low levels of water – 195 millimeters to be exact from the previous November to May 31.
Because of the dry conditions, there was very little pressure from disease, which meant that the key focus in the vineyards was dedicated to working the canopies. The beginning of June marked a phase of the first of many heat waves with temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius recorded – very unusual for June.
On July 14 in Pinhão, the temperature recorded was 46.5 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature recorded in the country in 2022. As a result of the extreme temperatures, veraison only occurred in the last week of July.
Harvest started on the September 5 at Quinta do Junco, September 7 at Quinta da Casa Nova, September 8 at Quinta da Eira Velha, and September 9 at Quinta da Terra Feita, with the vines producing very small berries which gave them a good juice to skin ratio. On September 6, a very fortunate four millimeters of rainfall kept the temperatures down and gave some relief to the vines and did a great job in giving the grapes that all important final push.
2022 will be remembered for the year that Taylor Fladgate was able to foot tread again, after two years of interruption due to COVID 19. Seeing the lagares full of people again dedicated to making great vintage ports was a sight to behold.
ABOUT TAYLOR FLADGATE
Taylor Fladgate is one of the first historic Port Wine houses, having been established in 1692. As a family company since its foundation, it specializes solely in the production of the highest quality Port Wine, from the planting of the vines to the production, aging and bottling of the wines. The family has shown its commitment to the future of Port Wine in its determination to protect the unique nature of the Douro Valley region, by promoting responsible and sustainable viticulture. The company is best known for its elegant and long-lived vintage ports, which are amongst the most sought-after and collectable, coming from the famous Quinta de Vargellas vineyard and two others: Terra Feita and Junco. The house created L.B.V. (Late Bottled Vintage), a style which the company pioneered and of which it continues to be the principal producer; it also pioneered Dry White Port when it invented Chip Dry, and also launched the first Single Quinta Vintage Port. Taylor Fladgate is also recognized as the most important producer of Aged Tawnies and possesses one of the most extensive reserves of Port Wines aged in cask. For more information about Taylor Fladgate, visit https://www.taylor.pt/us.
ABOUT KOBRAND CORPORATION
Founded in 1944, Kobrand Corporation remains one of the few family-owned wine and spirits companies in the United States. Kobrand’s portfolio was meticulously selected according to a single, unerring principle: quality. This continued focus has made the Kobrand name synonymous with wines and spirits of the highest caliber for 75 years. Kobrand is the exclusive agent for an outstanding selection of fine wines, spirits, and sakes from key regions around the world, including the United States, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Japan, Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand. For more information about Kobrand and the portfolio, visit http://www.Kobrandwineandspirits.com.
