For The Love Of Port

I just popped and poured for this note. If I have time I will write an update in a day or two after I have time to decant this or it opens up with bottle exposure to oxygen. There is an aromatic core of tart-ripe red berry fruit like Raspberry, Red Plum, Red Cherry, Red Currant, and a brambly, earthy smell. This wine seems to be in a phase that's more shutdown than when I tasted it upon release. It still has punch and concentration, but seems a little too tight to match the pleasure it had upon release. This is to be expected with an unfiltered LBV, I will wait at least 5 years (and probably closer to 10 years before cracking my next bottle. This will definitely improve but for today my score is 89+points. On day 3, after a two hour decant, this Fonseca LBV is really singing! It still has a core of fresh, dense black fruit but the mouthfeel is so pleasurable and round today. The finish is bold and long. If you have time to wait 3 days or perform an 8 hour decant prior to indulging, then I think you will find this wine to be an enjoyable bargain. If you are more into a red berry fruit profile and a really smooth finish, then you could search for the Grahams' 2011 LBV. As of day 3, this Fonseca 2011 LBV has hit it's sweet spot, but still plenty of time for cellaring and improvement seems likely:

93 points

As much as I like their VP; Fonseca LBV and Tawny are not that appealing to me. Same for Graham.

Night 2: I did not decant this bottle, so night on night 2, this was still expectedly tight. However, this now has some coffee grounds aromas on top of rich, youthful black plum and blackberry. My nose is a little stuffy tonight so I'm not going to up my score for now, but I'll revisit the LBV later in the week.

Moses Botbol wrote: ↑Mon Sep 18, 2023 9:48 am As much as I like their VP; Fonseca LBV and Tawny are not that appealing to me. Same for Graham.

Moses,

I didn't have much experience with Graham or Fonseca LBV's when I purchased these. I think I was over at Roy's house the week after tasting several 2015 VP's and Roy was pouring both of these. I remember remarking to myself that these both were quite concentrated and delicious and that I should buy a few bottles of each to see how they hold-up/evolve over the next few years. This is basically a 5-years from purchase check-in.

-Lindsay