When I decided I wanted to move back towards a Wall Street career, I knew there would be Saturdays like this where the work day ends at 1AM. I am okay with that- all the more so because I am ending the day with my 48 hour followup and full TN of a half bottle of 2017 Fonseca. This is the last of the 3 2017s I will be tasting at release, and while I am excited about the future for Taylor and Noval- at this point I have a little extra love for the Fonseca. The note may seem a bit over the top, but I have been doing this for 27 years and I know the enthusiasm is very real.
2017 Fonseca Vintage Porto
The third and final experience in my brief journey with the 2017 vintage, Fonseca’s greatness is less obvious than that of Taylor-Fladgate or Quinta do Noval, but there nonetheless if you take the time to seek it. Deepest purple color throughout, when first opened a potent and primary nose that is seamless and elegant where the Taylor and Noval were crying out with wild displays of crushed berries, blackberry notes here along with hints of cassis and tar, rich earth notes as well- and all interwoven with subtle but powerful streams of soft grey and white mineral tones, on the palate far more approachable than Taylor and Noval by virtue of its civil nature- but no less potent, fig notes, rich blackberries- almost jammy, a torrent of fruit delivered in focused flows without a drop out of place, fine long finish with intense floral notes, every bit as tannic as Taylor and Noval but the tannins- and the alcohol for that matter- are substantially buried beneath the almost tranquil streams of fruit, earth and rounded mineral notes, after two days the tar notes are more prominent on the nose and the wine is getting quite fiesty on the palate with firm tannins and marvelously tense fruit coated in semi-sweet chocolate and grey river stones, a ripe burst of figs towards the tail end, between this, Taylor and Noval there is plenty to love, but for my part I am a little extra excited about the Fonseca for its more subtle and almost alluring approach despite sharing an extraordinary powerful structure with its peers, a giant gorgeous panther poised to pounce, this will be one of the greats in time- and I have a few extra halves of this one to monitor along the way before breaking open the box of bottles in the distant future. This is one journey where I do not want to miss a thing.
(*), 2030-2080