For The Love Of Port

2015 Bottling from Costco. Fonseca in fine print. Looking for a refrigerator Tawny? Look elsewhere. Vanilla caramel on the nose, Strawberry up front with a graham cracker finish. No depth or complexity and rather dilute. Fine to cook with I guess and certainly no glaring flaws, just uninteresting. 85pts.

This was an excellent tawny the first year it came out and it seems to vary every year IMO, but Fonseca says it is same blend. I don't believe it is, or I am more finicky now. It's never lived up to initial release, is what I am getting at. Sad to read your review; I gave up on this tawny about 3 years ago.

Moses Botbol wrote:This was an excellent tawny the first year it came out and it seems to vary every year IMO, but Fonseca says it is same blend. I don't believe it is, or I am more finicky now. It's never lived up to initial release, is what I am getting at. Sad to read your review; I gave up on this tawny about 3 years ago.

Actually, it is not the same blend. It is a specific blend that Costco wanted. Not as good as the Fonseca version, but it is a decent well priced bottle to use as an inexpensive "house Port"

Andy Velebil wrote:

Moses Botbol wrote:This was an excellent tawny the first year it came out and it seems to vary every year IMO, but Fonseca says it is same blend. I don't believe it is, or I am more finicky now. It's never lived up to initial release, is what I am getting at. Sad to read your review; I gave up on this tawny about 3 years ago.

Actually, it is not the same blend. It is a specific blend that Costco wanted. Not as good as the Fonseca version, but it is a decent well priced bottle to use as an inexpensive "house Port"

Same blend meaning Fonseca is supposed to supply Costco with "the same blend" every year.

Ah gotcha sorry I misunderstood


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After a week in the fridge it has mellowed out a bit and come together with a rich buttery vanilla on the front end, a marked improvement, +1 pt.

I picked this up yesterday, along with a Dow's 09 LBV for 16.99. The same store also had Graham's 20yr for 45.99. I passed.

A dschus wrote:I picked this up yesterday, along with a Dow's 09 LBV for 16.99. The same store also had Graham's 20yr for 45.99. I passed.

So much for Costco saving you money... Ours usually has Sandeman 20 for $35 and back in the day had Presidential 20 in the ship decanter (never tried it).

Moses Botbol wrote:

A dschus wrote:I picked this up yesterday, along with a Dow's 09 LBV for 16.99. The same store also had Graham's 20yr for 45.99. I passed.

So much for Costco saving you money... Ours usually has Sandeman 20 for $35 and back in the day had Presidential 20 in the ship decanter (never tried it).

It's been a long time but last I had the Presidential 20 from that decanter bottle I wasn't very impressed. The blend has probably changed since then, as it was many many years ago since that last time.

I pick this up regularly at our local Costco. It is a perfect house tawny. $17 - can't go wrong and if by SOME miracle I don't finish it and it loses it's freshness, I can either cook with it or dump it and open another one. And at $17, i won't feel back about doing so.