Community Tasting Notes 55

• Claymonster Likes this wine: 95 points

  December 24, 2023 - I had never tasted a VP before but after reading the reviews on this one (particularly the praise from Rick & Ilsa) I bought three bottles and opened one on Christmas Eve to establish a benchmark for future comparison. This bottle was decanted for 5 or 6 hours, returned to the cleaned bottle, and then consumed over the following four days. There was no drop in quality over time, and the extended air allowed some of the flavors to become more concentrated and intense toward the end.
  
  This is dark dark dark purple in the glass, only slightly fading at the rim. Like staring into a delicious and velvety black hole. The nose is full of intrigue, stewed dark fruits like plums, fig, and black cherries, with hints of baking spices and extra doses of clove and anise. On the palate it delivers all those aromas and is luscious and concentrated, with a distinct nutty caramelized brown sugar element that provides the sensation of only a subtle sweetness. How do I describe this? You know how good quality dried dates are packed full of sugar, and yeah they're sweet, but because there's fiber and flavor you can eat 'em up without feeling sick? At least that's my experience with dates. And it was my experience with this wine. It is obviously sweet, but it was so well balanced with the acid and tannins that the perception of sugar content was dialed into the zone of "excellent without going overboard.” About those tannins--soft, round, and sexy. What will they be like in 25+ years?!? Beautifully long finish. It’s all here.
  
  In terms of the score, I may revisit the 95 in the future. My wine Rolodex is miniscule in comparison to others and I have zero experience with fine wines at the top end of the 100-point scale. 95 is the highest score I've ever given, meaning this is the best I've ever had the privilege to drink. But I feel like I need to leave room for higher scores in case there are other wines that exceed this one.
  
  Overall this was a memorable experience and I have no regrets losing my VP virginity to the 2011 Fonseca. Next bottle in 25 years?

  5 people found this helpful Comments (7)

• Wamrod wrote: 95 points

  December 24, 2023 - Fabulous port. Wish I could instantly add 20 years to it - so young still.

  2 people found this helpful Comment

• Neras Likes this wine: 94 points

  December 19, 2023 - Dark red-purple-Black. Plums, dark berries, dense, gentle tannins, sweetness and acidity. Balanced….dark, but light. Wonderful and very, very young.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• Motz wrote: 97 points

  November 5, 2023 - Split. The fifth of five wines tasted with a good friend over a long afternoon and evening. I am grateful to my friend for bringing it.
  
  An exceptional wine from an exceptional vintage! Correct and satisfying. Very interesting to have tasted this a year ago, followed by the 1985, 2000, and 2016 vintages this spring, then this again. An educational experience of the house style and cellaring potential. Likely to enter its drinking window around 2050. Improvement seems likely. 97-98.

  2 people found this helpful Comment

• Rick & Ilsa wrote: 97 points

  October 4, 2023 - Many previous notes apply so I won't go on and on again, but this is an excellent VP and still a outstanding qpr. If you don't get to it all, your children will thank you.

  3 people found this helpful Comments (6)

Pro Reviews 8

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2011
• Type Red - Fortified
• Producer Fonseca
• Varietal Port Blend
• Designation Vintage
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Portugal
• Region Douro
• SubRegion n/a
• Appellation Porto
• UPC Codes 084692000753, 084692000760, 084692304349, 084692616893, 3070140030309, 5013521102585, 5013521102691, 5013521102707, 5013521102950, 7585827183318

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 482 (6%)
• In Cellars 6,746 (84%)
• Consumed 764 (10%)

Food Pairing

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