Wine Advisor
Fonseca, Vintage Port 1970
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Vintners Company’s 650th anniversary celebration at Vintners Hall, the Fonseca 1970 was the finest bottle I have encountered. The bouquet opens beautifully with heady scents of clove, ginger, small red cherries, bergamot and allspice, displaying exquisite definition and harmony. The palate follows suit with lovely balance and poise in the mouth, notes of kirsch, shaved ginger and walnut building to an opulent, viscous finish that lacquers the mouth. Yet this bottle shows more control than the bottle tasted four years ago. The 1970 Fonseca is in a very nice place at the moment. You should join it. Tasted May 2013.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Carlton Club in St. James Street. This is quintessential Fonseca. The nose is alcoholic and heady: cloves, black fruits, allspice, ginger and kirsch all with wonderful definition and lift. The palate is full-bodied, slightly viscous on the entry, rich and enticing with touches of fig, nutmeg and walnut towards the decadent finish. Whereas Taylor ’70 is all reserve and aloofness, this Fonseca only knows how to party hard. Drink now-2025. Tasted May 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
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 1970, of course, is a powerful Fonseca with an exotic bouquet and lush, creamy, multidimensional flavors.
About the Producer
Fonseca is one of the most prestigious and historic Port wine houses in Portugal's Douro Valley. Established in 1822 by Antônio Monteiro Fonesca, the quinta has been owned and operated by the same family for nearly two centuries. Known for their concentrated, complex and age-worthy Vintage Ports, Fonseca also produces outstanding Late Bottled Vintage, Crusted and Tawny styles that showcase the depth and diversity of the Douro terroir. The winery's flagship Vintage Ports, such as the iconic Fonseca Guimaraens, are highly coveted by collectors for their remarkable balance, structure and potential to develop over decades in the cellar. Fonseca is considered a benchmark producer in the storied world of Port.
