1985 | Fonseca | Vintage Port

A stellar vintage Port with a generous and seductive nose redolent of blackcurrant and cherry. Dense, luscious black fruit laced with dark chocolate, liquorice and roasted coffee.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 1985 Fonseca is still youthful in appearance with hardly any ageing on the rim. The nose offers kirsch, sloes and Christmas cake. With time, there are subtle notes of dried fig and dates beginning to emerge and add to the complexity. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully balanced on the supple, rounded entry. It is not quite as complex as the aromatics, with dates and dried fig, the finish mellow and refined. It is very elegant for a Fonseca, weighty but supremely well focused.

• James Suckling: Very dark and youthful ruby-purple. Very intense aromas of blackberry and black licorice. Full-bodied and lightly sweet, with chewy tannins and a rich licorice, blackberry undertone.

Producer Information

Fonseca is a well-regarded Port house producing quality wines and known for the lush, exotic style of its vintage Port releases. Encompassing three quintas (vineyard estates) across the Douro region, the house makes a variety of Port styles, ranging from the reserve ruby, Bin 27, to white ports and Tawny ports of various ages. Fonseca's vintage releases are the most notable, however, and several vintages have attracted 100-point ratings and glowing reviews from major wine critics. In years deemed not good enough for the top Port, a earlier-drinking label called Guimaraens Vintage is made. The three quintas, or vineyard estates, are located in the Cima Corgo (above the Corgo river and its confluence with the Douro), around the town of Pinhão. The Cima Corgo is the more central region, located between the Baixa (lower) Corgo to the west, closer to Porto, and the Douro Superior, which stretches to the border with Spain. Two of the quintas, Quinta do Cruzeiro and Quinta de Santo António, are in the Pinhão Valley and have supplied Fonseca with grapes for over a century. The former is associated with providing tannic backbone and dense black fruit to the vintage port, while the latter estate provides aromatic complexity. Quinta do Panascal in the Távora Valley is a newer purchase (it was acquired in 1978) and gives rich, jammy flavors and texture. It is also the source for the Single Quinta Vintage wine which bears its name. Fonseca was founded in 1815 by the Fonseca and Monteiro families, with the Guimaraens family taking over during the second half of the 19th Century. In 1949, the company was sold to Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman which had loaned Fonseca considerable sums since the outbreak of war in 1939. Despite this ownership, Fonseca is run as a separate entity and various members of the Guimaraens family have held key positions ever since.

DISCLAIMER** This is a single item listing unless otherwise noted in the description. Retailer advises either in stock or in route to their location. Usually ships within one to four business days. Longer processing times may occur especially around holiday(s). Some items may become backordered or delayed without notice due to demand & will ship out upon arrival. Overseas 700ml products typically have longer processing/transit times. You can always verify product availability by calling 1-888-548-0333. Please refer to our cancellations & returns agreement or reach out to our support team at help@caskcartel.com for any additional questions.

Our dedicated team specializes in creating personalized shopping experiences. If you’re looking for a specific item or collection that isn’t appearing on our marketplace, please reach out to us at concierge@caskcartel.com or fill out the product inquiry form and one of our dedicated team members will be in touch.  Whether it’s a product you’ve experienced while traveling or a rare, hard to find item you’ve been searching for, we have an established global network of retailers with the ability to locate and source the rarest and hardest to find products.