NV José Maria da Fonseca Moscatel de Setúbal Trilogia

Community Tasting Notes (13) Avg Score: 95.3 points

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  4/7/2023 - LT98 wrote: 96 Points

  My first of three bottles. The previous note is so thorough that there is not much to add. Opened with 6 friends - all very much into wine. It was amazing. I resonate with the comment that it's a bit of a shame this was opened after so many other bottles, because by that point, the palate is a bit dulled and we have drunk a lot. That said - it is one of a kind and worth the effort to find.

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  5/6/2022 - forceberry wrote: 97 Points

  A blend of Moscatel from vintages 1900 (15%), 1934 (15%) and 1965 (70%) - supposedly the best three vintages from a library tasting of old Moscatels kept at JM Fonseca. The base wines are made in a classic Moscatel de Setúbal style, ie. after the crush the grape skins are macerated in the must and even after fortification the grape skins are kept in the must to boost the aromatic intensity. The skins have been macerated for approximately 5 months before the wine is pressed and moved to age in oak barrels. The wine was blended and bottled in October 1999. Total production 13926 half-liter bottles. 18,2% alcohol, 185 g/l residual sugar, 6 g/l acidity and pH 3,43.
  
  Quite deep and moderately opaque syrupy brown color with a light golden yellow rim. Evolved, very complex and quite volatile nose with sweet yet savory aromas of ethery VA, nutty notes reminiscent of Tawny Port, some syrupy tones, a little bit of dried dates and raisiny Sultana notes, light caramel nuances, a hint of molasses and a touch of sun-baked earth. The wine feels rich, sweet and rather hot on the palate with a full body and very concentrated flavors of syrupy molasses and caramel, peanut butter, some apple sauce, a little bit of roasted walnut, light volatile notes of medicinal ether, a floral hint of honeysuckle and a touch of dried dates. The overall feel is remarkably complex with tremendous intensity and slightly viscous with an oily and subtly sticky mouthfeel. The rather high acidity keeps the wine in balance and cuts down the sweetness a little bit. The sweet finish is powerful, complex and very lengthy with intense flavors of caramel and brown syrup, some nutty notes of roasted walnuts, a little bit of tangy rancio, light rich notes of apple sauce, a hint of dried dates and a floral touch of potpourri.
  
  Holy jebus what kind of intensity, complexity and length this wine packs. Old Moscatels de Setúbal can be very remarkable wines indeed, but this wine takes all that into the next level altogether. It's quite hard to put all the vibrancy, intensity and depth of flavor one can find here into words, but nevertheless, this is a remarkable wine by any standards. Even if the wine is quite big, oily and slightly sticky, it never comes across as ponderous or heavy, thanks to the relatively high acidity that offsets some of that residual sugar nicely. Due to its oxidative winemaking, I doubt this wine will evolve anywhere from here - and I doubt it has developed one bit since its release in late 1999 - but in all likelihood this wine will keep indefinitely if kept in a proper wine cellar. An astounding wine, and even if the wine is pretty pricey at approx. 200€ for a half-liter bottle, it arguably can deliver for the price. Highly recommended.

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  2/9/2020 - Papies wrote: 95 Points

  Sunday Night @ The Papies (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): 3 years since we had this last (Papies 94) and this time we gave it the right attention too.
  A very elegance and softer version of a Port is what we could describe it as , less of the fruit, less of the power and just a lightness to it relatively speaking. Nutty, soft oxidative, soft balsamic, light caramel. Very Very good. 95
  
  lend of the 1900,1934 and 1965 ( the best 3 vintages according to Domingo Soares Franco, the senior wine maker) and released only 13,926 bottles.

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  3/6/2017 - Papies wrote: 94 Points

  Its really a shame that these wines usually come at the end of big and long wine dinners when palate fatigue has taken its toll. The next bottle we have we will have it relatively on a "calm day".
  Very classy and well evolved but full of energy, nutty, light oxidation, medium sweetness and lots of length.Very solid wine. 93?94?95?
  
  Blend of the 1900,1934 and 1965 ( the best 3 vintages accoarding to Domingo Soares Franco, the senior wine maker) and released only 13,926 bottles.

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  11/10/2016 - Claw Dee Puss wrote: 92 Points

  Soft, smooth, classy, no, very classy - rich, mouth filling, peel, oranges - massive finish - a little lightweight on acid to balance the sweet.

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