PORTWEIN - SHOP - FONSECA VINTAGE PORT 2003 961

Wild aroma's, with flowers, blackberries and passion fruit. Full-bodied, massive on the palate. Medium-sweet. The finish goes for minutes. A mega young Port. Fonseca. What do you expect? -- James Suckling 95 p Wine Spectator 4/05

– this saturated purplish-ruby effort, exhibits a wine of great balance and approachability. Warming, generous, big, juicy, feminine, super equilibrium and was even better the second day and superb on the third. It started off as a medium bodied wine and kept gaining weight until it tipped the scales. A soft, round mouth feel on the palate which shows off cassis and currants, this is a Port of finesse with a finish you could time with a sundial. Fonseca again is at the apex of another fine vintage. Although this wine can be enjoyed now, there is a compelling reason to let this reach maturity. The ’03 is a sublime, complete and nearly perfect young Port and every bit as enjoyable as was their 1994 at the same stage. 12,000 cases produced. 98+ points Roy Hersh 7/05

Savoury, spicy structure underneath the fruit on the nose. Quite concentrated on the palate. Nice balance between the smooth sweet fruit, the fine-grained tannins and the spiciness on the finish. There are some subtle ‘old wood’ notes, too. A tasty wine. Very good/excellent 93/100 Jamie Goode 7/05

lInternational Wine Cellar Saturated deep ruby. Brooding, reticent nose of cassis and kirsch; there's nothing cooked about this one! Then massive, sweet and superrich in the mouth; explodes with exotic ripeness. Intriguing note of graphite. This coats every nook and cranny of the palate and clings and builds on the back end in a way that no other wine of this vintage can match. Huge, sexy and wonderfully lush Fonseca, built for the long haul. As impressive as the best 2000s, and, along with the Quinta do Noval Nacional, is an early candidate for port of the 2003 vintage. Score: 97. —Stephen Tanzer, January 2006.

The Wine Enthusiast Fonseca vintage Ports are always among the most attractive and long-lived. This 2003 conforms magnificently to that model. It is structured, rich, powerful and opulent. There are cassis and black fig flavors, as well as sweet tannins. It is delicious already, and will remain delicious throughout its long life. Imported by Kobrand. Score: 97. —Roger Voss, November 15, 2005.

The Wine Advocate Sporting an opaque, black-colored robe with dark purple trim, the 2003 Fonseca Vintage Port exhibits a nose of profound depth. Its sweet black mass of dark fruit and spice aromas leads to a character of immense depth, richness, and weight. Full-bodied, viscous, and almost impenetrable, this dense, backward port is powerful and exceptionally long in the finish. Possibly the most masculine Fonseca I’ve ever encountered, it coats the taster’s palate with licorice, jammy black fruits, and notes of chocolate that last for over a minute. This blockbuster will require at least three decades to fully blossom. Anticipated maturity: 2035-2060. Score: 96. —Pierre Rovani, October 2005.

The Wine Spectator Wild aromas, with flowers, blackberries and passion fruit. Full-bodied, massive on the palate. Medium-sweet. The finish goes on for minutes. A mega young Port. Fonseca. What do you expect? Barrel Tasting. Score: 95-100. —James Suckling, July 31, 2005.

Expertise von Fonseca (pdf-Datei, engl.)

s.a. Port-Blog vom 12.6.2006