Guimaraens
THE 2015 HARVEST, FONSECA'S BICENTENNIAL YEAR, PRODUCED AN EXCEPTIONAL GUIMARAENS VINTAGE, EXPRESSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE BUT WITH THE VIGOR NECESSARY TO ENSURE A LONG LIFE IN THE CELLAR.
In certain years when there is no classic Fonseca Vintage Port, a Guimaraens Vintage Port may be made instead. Guimaraens Vintage Ports nevertheless share the origins, heritage and complex fruity style of the classic Fonseca vintages and are drawn from the produce of the same three estates. They differ only in that they are more approachable, ready to drink earlier
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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
Opaque purple color, almost black, with a very narrow purple halo. Classic Fonseca nose, with an intense, almost intoxicating aroma of wild berries. The fruitiness is powerful but at the same time very fine and complex. Dense blackberry and cassis aromas are the base notes for the mentholated and balsamic herbal scents and the resinous character of cistus.
Discreet notes of exotic wood, licorice and black pepper add an additional dimension of complexity. The palate is built around a dense core of black fruits and the tannins, with their dense, tight weave, provide both structure and volume. Raspberry and plum aromas add freshness and lightness to the long, lush finish. The 2015 vintage, Fonseca's bicentennial year, produced an exceptional Vintage Guimaraens, expressive and accessible but with the necessary vigor to ensure a long life in the cellar.
Notes on Viticultural Year
The viticultural year will be remembered as unusually dry and the Fonseca properties in Pinhão recorded rainfall of less than a third when compared to the average of the last ten years. The weather remained dry until early spring, resulting in a harvest without any sign of disease, although the yield was lower.
Due to the weather conditions and the heat of early summer, the painting started earlier leading to an early ripening. In late July and throughout August, conditions remained stable with no heat spikes. Maturation remained balanced and by harvest time the crop was in excellent condition, with perfectly healthy bunches. Given the early ripening, the first grapes were ready to harvest, with excellent phenolic and sugar levels, as early as the end of the first week of September. So the harvest started on the 12th at Quinta do Panascal in the Távora valley, with cool nights allowing for balanced fermentations and long extraction periods.
The harvest was, however, briefly suspended during the 15th and 16th because of heavy rain. Although perfect weather conditions returned soon after, the harvest at the Cruzeiro and Santo Antonio estates was delayed until the end of the month. Excellent wines were made until the end of the harvest in early October.
Winemaker's Notes
"A rather dry spring and summer resulted in lower yields, but the health of the grapes was arguably one of the best in recent years. Balanced ripeness gave the 2015s the firm but well-integrated tannins that characterize the wines of this vintage."
Winemaker's Notes
"A rather dry spring and summer resulted in lower yields, but the health of the grapes was arguably one of the best in recent years. Balanced ripeness gave the 2015s the firm but well-integrated tannins that characterize the wines of this vintage."
Guimaraens
Awards & Press Comments
Richard Mayson - 97 Points
Decanter, 2017
" It’s closed and dense on the nose with underlying ripe fruit, and still rather demure even after a couple of days open to the air; immediately big and impressive, ripe and fleshy with solid tannins to back up "
James Molesworth - 93 Points
Wine Spectator, 2018
" Warm and lush in feel, this is really well-built, with layers of blueberry, acai berry and plum reduction flavors rolling through. "
Manuel Carvalho - 97 Pontos
Público, 2017
" Não é só pela magnífica palete de aromas (notas fl orais, chá verde, frutos vermelhos, notas químicas) que este Vintage impressiona. Impressiona também por revelar uma estrutura deliciosa, que lhe dá profundidade e um grande final. "
João Paulo Martins - 18,5 Pontos
Vinho Grandes Escolhas, 2022
" O 2015 nasceu num ano de invulgar seca mas alguma chuva na vindima ajudou à qualidade final. Concentrado na cor e ainda fechado no aroma mas com enorme potencial; taninos finos bem presentes, todo ele a mostrar anos e anos pela frente "
Luís Costa - 18,5 Pontos
Revista de Vinhos, 2022
" Num ano continuamente evocado por não ter havido (injustamente?) declaração clássica, este Vintage intensamente rubi é um monumento à elegância. Nariz muito complexo, onde se descortinam camadas sucessivas de fruta, aromas florais, imenso arbustivo e até frescos perfumes atlânticos. Na boca é sedoso, mostra taninos firmes, acidez fantástica e uma amplitude invejável com profundidade, volume e persistência. "
