2020 Maynard's - Vintage Port (750ml)

Maynard's is the flagship Port brand of the van Zeller family's Vinihold company, with wines made by Barão de Vilar. The name honors Walter Maynard, born in 1652, one of the earliest merchants to ship Port from Oporto to England and an ancestor of the family through marriage. Today the brand offers a full line of premium Ports, from Late Bottled Vintage to Vintage.

The 2020 harvest was the smallest of the 21st century in the Douro, following a hot, dry summer that yielded concentrated, deeply colored wines in low quantities. Maynard's Vintage Port draws on classic Douro varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Barroca. Recent Maynard's vintages were aged two years in oak and bottled unfiltered, a style suited to long cellaring.

Deep purple and opaque in the glass, the wine offers dark plum, heather, and cherry preserves, with licorice and cocoa on the palate. It is extremely full-bodied yet silky and harmonious, finishing very long. A Vintage Port built for the cellar, it rewards patience.