1987 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port

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Al B.
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Location: Wokingham, United Kingdom - UK

1987 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port

Post by Al B. »

Is this really the first tasting note that anyone has posted on this forum for this wine? I usually try to post my TNs as a reply to other people's views of the same wine as it makes it easier when you want to research a particular wine with a view to opening it or buying it.

This bottle was my Christmas present from my other half and had been standing upright since Christmas Day. This bottle was made of opaque glass, very difficult to decant because of the darkness of the glass and I had to rely on the sediment being seen as it moved down the sides of the funnel. Initially the wine was tainted by bottle stink, but this had mostly blown off after 3 hours in the decanter. The TN was taken after the wine had been in the decanter 24 hours.

Wine was a clear, glowing red in colour, dark centre and mahogany rim. Spirity nose, a strong whiff of alcohol followed by the scent of warm strawberries. In the mouth this tastes sweet and fruity, with lots of red fruit flavours. Nice complexity and a pleasant mid-palate. The aftertaste was dominated by flavours of sweet strawberry syrup and goes on for a very long time - I gave an extra point for the impressive aftertaste. Placing this in the order of the 100 or so bottles of port I will taste during 2007, I would expect this to be around the mid-point. However, I would also expect the wine to continue to improve over the next 10 years so I will give this wine a score of 5-6. On a 100 pt. scale I gave this wine 90/100.

Alex
Philip Harvey
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Location: Poole, United Kingdom - UK

Post by Philip Harvey »

Alex

I had one of these as part of my Christmas Port frenzy and although I did make detailed notes at the time, I seem to have misplaced them, so no post. However, having tasted one, I do recall feeling pretty pleased with my 24 bottle purchase at Christies in November at around £12 a bottle. I agree that the wine is still on the up but it was very enjoyable on the day.
*sweetstuff
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Re: TN Fonseca Guimaraens 1987

Post by *sweetstuff »

bridgema wrote:Is this really the first tasting note that anyone has posted on this forum for this wine? I usually try to post my TNs as a reply to other people's views of the same wine as it makes it easier when you want to research a particular wine with a view to opening it or buying it.

Alex
Dear Alex,

Have you by any chance checked to see if putting your notes in a reply might cause problems with archiving or retrieving from the archive, particulary after the long run? Many forums will save tasting notes but discard the rest of the thread after a year or two. Your notes, of course, are worth keeping longer than that for a wine of such potential longevity as porto. Perhaps Roy knows the answer to this.
Best, John Trombley aka Rieslingrat
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Alex K.
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Location: Coventry, United Kingdom - UK

Post by Alex K. »

I opened up a 1986 on Christmas Day... and failed to take any notes. I really enjoyed it though. Memories of licorice and cherries.
I'm telling you - Port is from Portugal.
Ronald Wortel
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Location: New Plymouth, New Zealand

Post by Ronald Wortel »

I drank this port almost two years ago, side by side with the Quinta do Panascal 1987. It was fun to compare the two. LadyRoots took TN's and posted them on WS, I've pasted them below:
We tasted the two ports next to each other in nice company of Stevie and a port-loving friend from Q. do Passadouro.

Decanted both ports some 4,5 hours in advance.

Fonseca Panascal 1987
Deep ruby red, showing a brown hue. A bit cloudy (our cat was rubbing against the bottle while I decanted it Roll Eyes)
The nose is a bit alcoholic, but besides that it contains nice tones of ripe cherries, cooked vegetables, bayleaves, cacao, a bit of dried fruit, leather and almost some tar aromas.
Medium bodied, lacking fruit in the beginning, but later on showing black cherries, vigs and dades. Nice touch of dark chocolate and coffee. Tannins are almost velvety. Well integrated port, but a bit one-dimensional.
The finish is rather hot and short, with loads of cherries and chocolate. 86 points.

Good to drink now!

Fonseca Guimaraens 1987
With our crappy light, there was not much difference in colour between the two.
Less intense nose, but in same style, lots of cooked vegetables. The nose shows older than the Panascal. The taste is a complete different story: thick bodied but fresh in appearance, lovely concentration of black and red cherries, lemon blossom, some bayleaves and milk chocolate. Good balance and smooth (but noticable) tannins. Some secondary flavours, but still relatively young in character. More complex and enjoyable than the Panascal.
The long finish contains loads of cassis fruit and chocolate. 91 points

It would have been nice to follow this port throughout the evening, but the two bottles were gone within an hour
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