Wine Advisor
Fonseca, Vintage Port 1985
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Compared to the 1985 Taylors this has a little more lift and opulence but not the complexity or definition with aromas of raisin, cigar box, cloves and liquorice. A bouquet that is upfront and exuberant. A sweet, ripe, luscious entry with a very harmonious mid-palate, this has a really saturated quality to it, quite fleshy and lush with a velvety-smooth finish. Very fine, although the Taylors has more breeding. Drink 2012-2040+ Tasted September 2007.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1985 Fonseca is still youthful in appearance with hardly any ageing on the rim. The nose offers kirsch, sloes and Christmas cake. With time, there are subtle notes of dried fig and dates beginning to emerge and add to the complexity. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully balanced on the supple, rounded entry. It is not quite as complex as the aromatics, with dates and dried fig, the finish mellow and refined. It is very elegant for a Fonseca, weighty but supremely well focused. This is a fabulous Fonseca that is ready to drink now, but will age for another 30 or 40 years. Drink now-2030+.
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 1985 looks to be one of the top successes of the vintage, yet I believe both the superb 1983 and the otherworldly 1977 are far superior. Dense ruby/purple with the Oriental spice-box aroma, the 1985 is an expansive, sweet, broadly flavored wine with outstanding depth, concentration, and balance. It finishes with a solid lashing of alcohol and tannin.
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.
