Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port is the most popular premium port style in both England and Canada, accounting for one in five port purchases in the UK and over a quarter of all port consumed in Canada.

Both Vintage Port and LBV are produced from a selection of very fine, full-bodied red ports from a single year. However, the key difference between the two lies in their maturation process. Vintage Port is aged in wood for around twenty months before being transferred to the bottle, where it continues to mature. In contrast, Late Bottled Vintage, as the name suggests, is bottled at a later stage, spending between four and six years in wood. This extended period of wood ageing allows LBV to mature and stabilise, making it ready to drink upon bottling. It does not require decanting and can be enjoyed by the glass for several weeks after opening.

LBV was developed as a high-quality, yet more affordable and immediately drinkable alternative to Vintage Port, designed for casual, everyday enjoyment. It was first introduced in 1970 by Taylor’s current Chairman, Alistair Robertson, with the release of the 1965 Late Bottled Vintage. Although many other port houses now produce this style, Taylor’s LBV – the original Late Bottled Vintage – remains the benchmark in the category and is often the preferred choice for knowledgeable port drinkers.