Vintage Port

Fonseca is one of the great port lodges, producing the most exotic and most complex port. If Fonseca lacks the sheer weight and power of a Taylor, Dow or Warre, or the opulent sweetness and intensity of a Graham, it excels in its magnificently complex, intense bouquet of plummy, cedary, spicy fruit and long, broad, expansive flavors. With its lush, seductive character, one might call it the Pomerol of Vintage ports. When it is young, it often loses out in blind tastings to the heavier, weightier, more tannic wines, but I always find myself upgrading my opinion of Fonseca after it has had 7-10 years of age. The 1983 is magnificently scented, full-bodied, creamy, rather forward, but showing great length and character.

Rating

90

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

1st Jan 1989

Source

Buying Guide, 2nd Edition, The Wine Advocate

This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1985 is the sweetest and richest of the recent Warre vintages. Extremely concentrated, rich, even luscious, this full-bodied, intense, opulent wine has layers of fruit, a full-blown bouquet, and impeccable balance. The soft tannins and precocious appeal of the 1985 suggest rapid maturation.

When tasting young vintage ports, Taylor is always the most backward. Yet potentially, it has the capability to be the most majestic. This classically made, opaque purple-colored wine is crammed with black fruits (blueberries and cassis). It reveals high tannin and a reserved style, but it is enormously constituted with massive body, a formidable mid-palate, and exceptional length. It is a young, rich, powerful Taylor that will require 10-15 years of aging. Compared to the more flashy, forward style of the 1992, the 1994 has more in common with such vintages as 1977 and 1970. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2045.

Rating

96

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2014 - 2045

Reviewed by

Neal Martin

Issue Date

30th Apr 2014

Source

212, The Wine Advocate

The Quinta Do Noval Nacional 1997 has a fragrant bouquet that boasts more delineation than the Vintage Noval, although it demonstrates approximately the same degree of vigour. There is a fine mineral component on the nose with macerated dark cherries, hoisin, cigar box and dried fig that seem to multiply exponentially with vigor. The palate is elegant on the entry with supple rounded tannins, well-judged acidity and purity, building gently in the mouth from its understated entry towards its peacock tail of mulberry, clove and raisin towards the finish. This is a step up from the 1994 Nacional, though if you want to split hairs, it does not possess the mind-boggling complexity of later vintages. However, it does purr with class. Drink now-2045.

The 2000 Fonseca continues to exude finesse and focus on the nose, with pure blackberry, juniper berries, licorice and a touch of sloes, perhaps as Adrian Bridge remarked, just beginning to close after ten years in bottle. The palate is underpinned by very fine tannins, a sensual, svelte texture with wonderful acidity. The harmony and symmetry is alluring, the finish precise and demonstrating the persistency to suggest a long future ahead. Drink 2020-2060.

Rating

93

Release Price

$73

Drink Date

2010 - 2050

Reviewed by

Jay S Miller

Issue Date

27th Feb 2010

Source

187, The Wine Advocate

The 2007 Warre Vintage Port is one of the stars of the vintage. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it displays an expressive bouquet of Asian spices, incense, lavender, blackberry, and fruitcake. Plush on the palate with outstanding volume, it exhibits a sense of elegance as well as power. Savory flavors, plenty of structure for the long haul, and a lengthy, fruit-filled finish suggests two decades of cellaring are in order. This superb effort should still be drinking well in 2050.  

Rating

100

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2020 - 2060

Reviewed by

Neal Martin

Issue Date

30th Apr 2014

Source

212, The Wine Advocate

The 2011 Quinta do Noval Nacional has an entrancing bouquet that unfolds with time. It is extraordinarily concentrated with black currant pastilles, baked earth, a touch of terracotta and bay leaf that gains more dimension with time. Yet there is undeniable purity and elegance here, a seductive chorus of aromas perfectly in tune. The palate has a wondrous symmetry and focus, perfect acidity and immense purity. Everything here is so precise and at the same time, unassuming, as if this Nacional is aware of its breeding without the impulse to brag about it. It has closed down just a little since last year, but I take this as a positive sign that this legendary Nacional will delight for decades rather than years. This is the kind of elixir that leaves you speechless – surely the finest Nacional since the ethereal 1963. Drink 2020-2060. Tasted January 2014.