1994 Fonseca VP

[Eric Menchen]

Smells young and fresh, with herbal aromas. Yes, it is very herbal with esteva and grape skins; while swirling reveals some perfume and alcohol. Powerful and strong flavors as well, with lots of red fruits and plum too. Lots of tannins, but not overwhelming, along with nice acidity and good body.

I didn't score this and later tasted wines at the time. This followed 1960s wines that I scored 98 and 96 points, so what could I do with these young powerhouse fruit bombs? This, the 1994 Nacional, 1997 Fonseca, 1997 Nacional, 2003 Fonseca, 2003 Nacional, and 2011 Nacional were all outstanding, but didn't reach 98 points, and probably just touched 96. Call it 93-95 for all of them, and give them some time to potentially gain a few more points. I also took to just enjoying them with the food pairings, Stilton cheeses and a candied black mission fig financier.