2024 VINTAGE PORTS: TAYLOR FLADGATE, FONSECA, CROFT
DOURO, PORTUGAL 2024
Led by a 97-point Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port and a 19.5/20-rated Fonseca, the 2024 vintage declaration is shaping up to be one of the landmark Port vintages of the modern era. The first generally declared Douro vintage in seven years, it has already drawn comparisons to the 1945 legendary vintage.
Add in historically small production from Fladgate Family Wines and limited allocations across the board, and the fact that three of the four of these are available as half-bottle … and you can understand why we’re encouraging you to act now to secure these epic releases before they’re snapped up.
Now, to dive into the delicious details …
We begin with Taylor Fladgate, the granddaddy of the Port world. And we begin with a fact that stunned us: 2024 marks the smallest production that the Fladgate Family Wines has ever released, according to winemaker David Guimaraens.
Add that to tiny yields and a landmark vintage, and it’s no surprise at all that this grande dame of a port house should have produced a pair of simply extraordinary wines, the 97-point Vintage Port ("powerful, muscular, and toned,” wrote James Suckling, in his rave) and the Sentinels Vintage Port (a 17.5/20, in the judgment of the esteemed port critic Richard Mayson).
Sourced from the legendary properties of Quinta de Vargellas, Terra Feita, and Junco, the Vintage Port is a structured, polished port of uncommon finesse, built to drink beautifully a half-century hence. The Sentinels Vintage Port, drawn from select sub-plots in the Pinhão Valley, is a deep, obsidian purple, with vibrant aromatics, a precise and lifted palate, a delicate but defined structure, and an insistent drive.
Fonseca, meanwhile, delivered its finest port in a decade, with Mayson awarding it a 19.5/20 score and writing: "a wow of a wine that combines purity and finesse.” We fell hard for this one, folks. We loved the dark, opulent richness of its mid-palate, and the way it’s balanced out by a wonderful acidity (a characteristic of many wines of the vintage) and supported by supple tannins. It’s got many magnificent decades to come.
Croft rounds out the grouping, and Jancis Robinson declared herself smitten. “Lifted and red-fruited," she wrote, with a "smooth and vibrant” attack and “silky” tannins. Croft tends to enter its drinking window earlier than its older peers, and that’s definitely the case here. Produced in the granite lagares of Quinta da Roeda, it’s already marvelously approachable, with a sumptuous palate and sneaky definition.
Before we close this out, some important words about format …
The half bottles (Taylor Fladgate and Fonseca at $70, Croft at $52) are great deals, to be sure, but their value extends well beyond price; because they mature faster than full-size bottles, you can let your 750s earn you some powerful dividends, while giving yourself a taste of a generational vintage.
We can’t wait for you to get your hands on these, and find out what has us — and the critics -- buzzing.
This is a rare and wonderful opportunity to acquire some of the greatest ports of our time. But hurry, folks; our allocations are limited, and these WILL go fast .
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Winter 2026 (Dec.21st - Mar. 20th, 2027). With the supply chain issues that we are seeing globally, there may be some unforeseen delays which could affect the ETA. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in KS, KY, MI, NY, OK, or TN. This offer will expire on Sunday, September 13th, 2026.