2003 Fonseca LBV Port

[Michael Hann]

2003 Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage port, unfiltered and unfined, bottled 2008. Driven cork. When decanted, there was some sediment in the last 2 oz or so of the wine which I discovered when pouring this remainder of the bottle into a wine glass rather than into the decanter.

D+3: Medium red color with a suggestion of purple. A little more bouquet than I usually detect in LBVs and this developed somewhat as I drank through the first half of the bottle. No particularly distinct associations with the nose, but normal and desirable fruity notes.

The flavor hinted of mint, licorice, and raspberries. Good amount of fruitiness. Moderate sweetness, less sweetness than I am accustomed to in my limited experience with LBVs, but not disappointing or off-putting. Some tannin and spiciness. The aftertaste had a medium length. I think this port could improve for 5 more years and perhaps more. I found it very attractive and pleasing now. I rate it 87/100.

After decanting the whole bottle, I poured about half of the port back into the bottle -- after first rinsing the sediment out of the bottle -- and will consume this remaining half bottle tomorrow evening. I will update my tasting note then.

D+4: (immediately after decanting, poured 1/2 bottle back into original bottle and corked. Next day -- today -- decanted 4 hours before beginning to drink). My impressions were similar to those of the first day. Today I was struck that this LBV is elegant and well balanced. There was a taste of prunes I hadn't noticed yesterday. There is a good amount of acid to give the LBV verve and body. Again, I found this LBV very pleasing.

[Andy Velebil]

Michael,
I didn't realize this was an unfiltered LBV and I could have sworn all the past bottles I've had had a t-cork. I wonder if they made a switch for the 2003 vintage or make both types??

* I checked their website and it doesn't state. Only has a pic of the 1997 with a t-cork.

[Michael Hann]

The front label on my bottle prominently states Unfiltered. The back label goes further and says unfiltered and unfined; says this preserves more flavor; and warns that there may be a sediment cast in the bottle after a couple of years in bottle (indeed, there was a non-negligible quantity of sediment already deposited in the case of my bottle) but this does not cause any harm. I don't have any experience with earlier Fonseca LBVs personally. I'm going to check Richard Mayson tonight to see if he may say anything about Fonseca's LBV. Since his book was published in 2005, his information could shed some light on whether there has been a change. I recall Mayson places Fonseca among the top tier of LBV producers versus Graham and Taylor who Mayson places among the second tier of LBV producers (perhaps because both of these LBVs are filtered?). Alternatively, could it be possible that Fonseca makes two different LBVs, one filtered and one unfiltered? I thought I read somewhere that Warre may produce two different LBVs, there being some significant difference between them (maybe one unfiltered and one filtered, or one bottle matured and one with no indication of being bottle matured).

[Andy Velebil]

I thought I read somewhere that Warre may produce two different LBVs, there being some significant difference between them (maybe one unfiltered and one filtered, or one bottle matured and one with no indication of being bottle matured).

You may be thinking of Quinta do Noval who makes both types of LBV's.

[Michael Hann]

In Mayson's "Port and the Douro", Mayson identifies Fonseca as making unfiltered LBV. So maybe at some point prior to 2005 Fonseca changed from making filtered to unfiltered. In this same general passage in Mayson's book, Mayson says that during the 1990's there was a growing trend towards "traditional" LBV bottled without filtration, so maybe Fonseca made the switch in the current of other shippers moving over towards unfiltered LBVs.

[Andy Velebil]

Michael,

I just found a bottle of this at a store near me, so of course I grabbed it to try out. I'll open it soon and report back.