Vintage
IMPENETRABLE BLACK COLOR. CLASSIC FONSECA NOSE, DOMINATED BY LUSH AND PLEASANT FRUIT, A POWERFUL DENSE AND DARK PERFUME OF BLACKBERRIES AND CURRANTS.
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
Impenetrable black color. Classic Fonseca nose, dominated by lush and pleasant fruit, a powerful dense and dark perfume of blackberries and currants, which slowly release an intoxicating mix of spices and herbs aromas, seductive notes of coffee and cocoa, hints of dried plum and wild aromas of rock-rose. The thick, velvety tannins give the wine a voluptuous density that integrates easily with the sumptuous infusion of blackberry jam, dark chocolate and licorice, coating the palate. The tannins are also present on the finish, which overflows in blackberry and currant flavor.
Notes on Viticultural Year
2009 will be remembered as a year of low yields. This was due in part to the small quantity of grapes, but also to the effect of a very dry ripening season. Vine dormancy ended very early, with budbreak occurring in Pinhão in the first week of March. The ripening season began with relatively cool weather, which continued throughout July, but in August it changed and there was intense heat.
From July until the harvest in September, there was almost no rain. By early September the grapes had reached phenolic maturity. These hot, arid conditions produced concentrated musts, rich in color, tannins and sugar.
A quick start to harvesting at the Fonseca estates ensured that the wines had a good balance of acidity and avoided overripening.
