Vintage
REMARKABLE COLOR - AT 35 YEARS OLD IT STILL HAS THE LIVELINESS OF THE GRAPE IN A YOUNG WINE - AND NOT MELTING AWAY GIVING WAY TO MORE VARIED FLAVORS.
Fonseca has been part of the first category of Vintage Port wine producers since the mid-19th century. Fonseca Vintage Port wines are known for their lush fruitiness that develops great opulence and complexity with age. Their wines appeal to the enthusiast and connoisseur, perhaps more than the Vintage Ports of any other house because they are the result of inspired production and deep knowledge of viticulture and terroir.
Vintage Port wines represent the best of the products of an exceptional year. Unlike Port wines that age in wood, Vintage Port wines will continue to age and improve in bottle for decades, inscribing in their character both the characteristics of the vineyard and the influence of the winemaker.
The company's Vintage Port wines come from its own estates: Cruzeiro and Santo António in the Pinhão valley, which have contributed to the company's Vintage Port blend for 100 years, as well as the Panascal estate in the Távora valley.
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BOTTLE LAIN DOWN
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DECANTING RECOMMENDED
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VEGAN
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16ºC - 18 ºC
The Port continues to improve for decades after bottling. The bottle should be kept lain down in a cool place, ideally at a temperature below 16ºC.
Should be decanted before being served. Stand the bottle upright a few hours before decanting to allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle. Pour the wine in a slow, steady stream into a decanter, ensuring that only the clear wine is poured, leaving the sediment behind.
This Port wine is Vegan friendly
The wine benefits from being served between 16ºC to 18ºC.
The Port continues to improve for decades after bottling. The bottle should be kept lain down in a cool place, ideally at a temperature below 16ºC.
Should be decanted before being served. Stand the bottle upright a few hours before decanting to allow the sediment to fall to the bottom of the bottle. Pour the wine in a slow, steady stream into a decanter, ensuring that only the clear wine is poured, leaving the sediment behind.
This Port wine is Vegan friendly
The wine benefits from being served between 16ºC to 18ºC.
Tasting Notes
Remarkable color - at 38 years old it still has the liveliness of the grape in a young wine - and not melting away giving way to more varied flavors - touch of dark chocolate with berries and spice, persistent finish with enough tannic firmness to keep it going into the future. Remarkably young for its age - with all the best that age brings to a great Vintage Port. It can evolve for many more years in the way that great vintages do.
Notes on Viticultural Year
The year started with a wet winter and a cold spring, with some frosts happening as early as May. The grapes took a while to ripen during a summer that was cool, but September was extremely hot and by the end of the month the grapes were ready to be picked. The musts were described as having high acidity, and the cool weather of early October gave way to long fermentations with abundant extraction. The year was declared by almost all the major producers.
