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Fonseca - Vintage Port 1985
Tasting notes
Enormous colour. Dense ruby / purple. Opaque. Huge ripe, rich, blackcurrant nose. Attractive, extremely powerful bouquet. Full, concentrated, powerful palate. Great richness, depth, complexity. Lovely intense chocolate and blackberry flavours. Good length.
Food pairing
Walnuts are an excellent accompaniment to Vintage Port, as are blue veined and other richly flavoured cheeses. So too are dried fruits such as apricots or figs. Alternatively, simply savour the rich and complex flavours of the wine on their own in a generously proportioned glass with good company.
Background
The backbone of Fonseca vintage ports are the wines drawn primarily from Fonseca’s three quintas, all located in the Cima Corgo: Quinta de Santo Antonio, Quinta do Cruzeiro, and Quinta do Panascal. The finest grapes from these quintas produce its classic vintage ports. The grapes are still trodden by foot in the stone 'lagares' of Cruzeiro and Panascal. Fonseca vintage ports are renowned for their voluptuous rich fruit, mouthfilling density, tannic structure and 'grip'. They are wines of breed, balance and great complexity.
Vintage
The 1985 vintage was preceded by an exceptionally cold, wet winter, with night temperatures well below freezing in early January. Berry set was excellent and the young bunches perfectly formed. The summer was hot throughout the region, with no rainfall during July and August. Fonseca picked earlier than most other shippers and the harvest was brought in under ideal conditions before the rain which fell later in the month of September. Conditions were ideal for fermentation resulting in must of exceptional colour and weight.
