Vintage
A POWERFUL VINTAGE PORT WINE. QUALITY RIPE FRUIT, GOOD EXPRESSION, CHERRY, A LOVELY CHARACTER.
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 a 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
Beautiful deep color with brick red halo. Nose of good depth, sweet and harmonious, somewhat witty, rich, soft touches of dark chocolate and cherry (cherry tomato).
Harmonious and elegant wine, some quality structure with amazing spice and mint notes, very crisp fruit, soft. A very enjoyable Vintage Port, now with good tannins to carry it through to old age. Seems softer than usual.
Nose closing in. Lots of fruit, black currant and blackberry, really intense jam with cocoa notes and firm but silky tannins. A powerful Vintage Port. Quality ripe fruit, good expression, cherry, a lovely character.
Notes on Viticultural Year
The winter preceding the 2003 harvest was very wet. Flowering took place in late May, with warm and bright weather, in conditions considered to be one of the best in many years.
The first two weeks of August provided the intense summer heat that often precedes a great Vintage Port. The second half of August was cooler and two perfectly timed days of rain eventually favored the ripening of the grapes at the end of the month.
The harvest season in September was warm, dry and yields were uniform for all varieties, ensuring balance and complexity in the wines.
