Wine Advisor
Fonseca, Vintage Port 2000
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Opaque purple colour with fat tears on the glass. The nose is a heavenly blend on pure blackberry and cassis. Palate is elegant, stylish with silky smooth tannins, this millennial Fonseca is just so focused and disarmingly harmonious. Both this and Taylors 2000 stand out within this lauded vintage. One for the great-grandchildren. Drink 2020-2050+ Tasted October 2003.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Fonseca 2000 retains that intense focused nose that is “stricter” when contrasted against the Croft. The fruit is slightly darker with dark cherries, pomegranate, blackberry and melted tar. The palate is medium-bodied with a vibrant, lightly peppered entry, good weight and focused tannins, not an opulent or flamboyant Fonseca compared to other vintages, rather biding its time to offer delight in another decade. Superb. Tasted May 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
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.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Dense ruby/purple-colored, with an exotic, exuberant perfume of black fruits, flowers, incense, and licorice, this unctuously-textured, full-bodied port is one of the most concentrated of the vintage. Sweet, expansive, and succulent, this large-scaled, but remarkably well-balanced effort is surprisingly forward and accessible (by Fonseca's standards). Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025. Importer: Kobrand Corp., New York, NY; tel. (212) 490-9300
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The millennial Fonseca is still a young pup. It has a rich blackberry, cassis and liquorice-scented nose with a touch of saddle-leather, fruitcake and earth. The palate has a sensuous entry, beautifully integrated tannins, seamless and caressing with blackberry, black olive compote, fig and a touch of damson jam. Lovely sense of natural balance and poise but yet to shed its puppy fat. Quintessenital Fonseca really. Drink 2020-2050+ Tasted May 2009.
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.
