3/3/2024 - SLB83 Likes this wine:

A lovely VP, but an absolute nightmare to get the cork out. The screw went in easily, but it came apart then I pulled it up. I’ve got a great two-stage corkscrew, but the cork just ripped. It had somehow fused itself against the bottle in one area. I had to peel the left over bit out with a crab leg picker.
I poured it into a decanter through a filter. There was some sediment (and cork gristle of course!).

The colour has started to fade on this one, with some dark brick red on the edges.

I then poured a sip-sized amount into a glass. On the nose some prunes and some stewed black fruit.
On the palate an absolute prune fest. Sweet prunes, nothing else, except a little bit of hotness from the alcohol.
After 3 or 4 hours the cherries started to arrive, and the wine was much more open. Also some floral notes on the nose. The hotness had gone.

Eventually, after 5 hours, I poured it back into the bottle.
We had it after dinner, probably 10 hours after opening the bottle.

The wine was much better than when I initially opened it, and had a wide variety of fruit notes, some light oak and some chocolate.

We had it with Stilton, some dark chocolate, pecan and walnuts, and cheddar. Unsurprisingly, a great paring.

I was expecting more tannins in the wine, and was surprised by how accessible it was. I had the Taylor’s 2009 recently, and that was much darker, both in colour and flavours. The tannins were much more pronounced.

This Fonseca will last for years though, and if you have a few bottles (I have 5 left), give it a go soon, and see in 5 years how it has developed.

8/28/2020 - Jack wrote:

Off

2/26/2021 - Jack wrote:

Again, way too much spritz makes this messy and undrinkable when opened.