FONSECA, 20 YEAR TAWNY PORT, DOURO, PORTUGAL

Overview of the Wine
From the legendary 1840, Fonseca’s first Vintage Port release, to the superb declared vintages of the last decade, the house has produced a succession of highly acclaimed wines even in the most adverse moments of history.

This consistency derives not only from continuity of family involvement, and the knowledge and skill passed down from one generation to the next, but also a close link with the vineyard.  The firm’s three estates of Cruzeiro, Panascal and Santo António are the heart of the distinctive character of Fonseca’s Vintage Ports.

Fonseca’s respect for the vineyard and the unique environment of the Douro Valley expresses itself in the firm’s leadership in the field of sustainable and organic viticulture. It was the first house to offer a Port made entirely from organically produced grapes.

As it approaches its bicentenary, Fonseca can take pride in its past and look forward to the future with confidence. Wine drinkers increasingly seek wines of authenticity and character with a genuine story to tell and made by creative winemakers who understand their terroir and respect the environment.

Perhaps more than any other Port house, Fonseca has built a loyal community of Port enthusiasts who value its individuality and the inimitable character of its wines. These include connoisseurs, collectors, sommeliers and restaurateurs as well as those who simply enjoy drinking its wonderfully rich and complex Ports.

Grapes
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela

Origin
Douro, Portugal

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
Fonseca Twenty Year Old Tawny Porto is deep amber in color with russet highlights. Its superb bouquet is a complex marriage of ripe, plummy, mature fruit, warm spicy overtones of cinnamon and butterscotch and subtle oak nuances. Full-bodied and voluminous on the palate, its smooth, velvety texture is carried into a long clean, elegant finish. Tawny Ports of age will not improve once bottled; they should be served at room temperature or barely cool at the end of a meal with nuts or not overly-sweet desserts.

95 Points – Decanter
A candied style showing mounting richness behind scents of dried fig, caramel, toffee and cream. Multi-layered on the palate, with mouth-filling grapiness and balancing citrus.

94 Points – Wine Enthusiast 
This gorgeous Port is at the perfect stage where there are still freshness and hints of orange and dried fruit, while the wood aging is concentrating the wine into its essence.

92 Points – Wine Spectator
Focused and fresh, with hints of green tea and ginger flittering in the background, while date, toffee, cinnamon and warm fruitcake notes form the core. Stylish finish.

92 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The NV 20 Year Old Tawny was bottled with a bar top cork in 2013. It comes in at 111.6 grams per liter of residual sugar. A big mouthful, this is a 20 that first coats the palate and then ends with silky texture and concentrated flavor. Very graceful, it is not as impressive in terms of mid-palate density, but it is more than respectable. It shows fine complexity, appropriate to its age category. The finish seals the deal, more lingering and gripping than I expected from the first taste. It is another delicious Tawny from the Taylor Fladgate group this issue, so dig in.

Product size: 750ml