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  • Country ranking ?

    61
  • Producer ranking ?

    3
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    from 2025

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“The harvest of 2016 will be remembered as having started very late. Fonseca’s Quinta do Cruzeiro started picking right at the end of September and Quinta do Santo António at the beginning of October. This was due to the late start to the ripening season and to the long and very even maturation of the crop. Balance is certainly one of the keynotes of the vintage”.

 “The gradual and even ripening of the crop has produced beautifully balanced...

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The Story

Fonseca has belonged to the first rank of Vintage Port producers since the mid-nineteenth century. Fonseca Vintage Ports are noted for their luscious fruitiness which develops great opulence and complexity with age. Wines born of inspired winemaking and a thorough understanding of viticulture and terroir, they appeal, perhaps more than any other house's Vintage Ports, to the enthusiast and connoisseur.

Vintage Ports represent the finest pro...

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Wine Information

The weather pattern leading up to the 2016 harvest was relatively unusual. Rainfall in April and May was almost three times the 10-year average. This replenished ground water reserves reduced by the dry conditions the previous year but also resulted in significant fruit loss and reduction in yields in some areas as well as a late start to the maturation cycle. In contrast, July saw the onset of hot, dry conditions that lasted for the rest of t...

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Vintage 2016

The 2016 harvest in the Douro brought perfectly-timed rain that turned a good year into a great one. Fortunately, despite a challenging growing season and a much adjusted and delayed picking schedule, those producers with excellent vineyard knowledge and confident decision-making, were rewarded with spectacular Vintage Ports.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

Fonseca Vintage Port 2016 – Intense deep purple. Has a profound depth of flavour. Black fruits, florals, cloves, black olives, but the most dominant flavour at the moment is plums, juicy ripe, messy, chin-staining plums. Serious concentration here. It seems to have a slightly more austere character than the Taylor’s. Has that intriguing note of grapeseed. The texture is so supple, so velvety. Everything is already in balance and there are fine, very long tannins and extraordinary length here. A VP with a huge future. Just a baby.

Tried several times, the first at the base of the vineyard after a superb lunch of roasted local goat kid, which would be enough to influence the most jaded palate, but in more “traditional” tasting circumstances a few days later, it showed equally well (perhaps even better). Put a case of this in your cellar and earn eternal thanks from your grandkids. 99.

  • 99p

Lots of ripe fruit here with raisins and wet earth that turn to violets and hot stones. Full-bodied, tannic and powerful with fantastic grip and intensity. Grabs you. Impressive. Drink in 2025.
 

 

  • 98p

The 2016 Fonseca Vintage Port began to be picked on 21 September at their Panascal vineyard, their Quinta do Cruzeira vineyard not picked until 6 October. It is deep, almost inky in colour. The bouquet is very intense with luscious black fruit laced with embers, clove and hints of bay leaf. There is wonderful purity here and a broodiness that suggests you'd better be patient. The palate is sweet and lively on the entry with some gorgeous ginger and curry leaf notes littered over the compact black fruit. There is wonderful density to this Fonseca. It is like a coiled spring with so much energy towards the finish that you just know this will be a long-term prospect. Superb. Production is 4,900 cases.

  • 96p

Deep purple in colour. There is an attractive earthiness initially on the nose followed by dark chocolate, black cherry, black currant, plum then a subtle menthol note. Seductive. The palate is full bodied with impressive concentration and power. Fresh with fine tannins. Flavours of black cherry, black currant and blueberry come through with a lovely spice. Opulent. There is very impressive length on the finish with a persistent bitter chocolate flavour. Exceptional.

  • 95p
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Information

Origin

Vila Nova de Gaia, Douro

Inside Information

Dense purple black with a narrow purple rim. The nose opens with very fine pure black fruit, a fusion of black cherry, cassis and blackberry jam aromas, with notes of crushed mint, an ethereal fragrance of violets and undertones of ripe tropical fruit. The year has added an additional layer of purity and refinement to the subtle, complex Fonseca fruit character, as well as an attractive minerality. The palate is supported by a vibrant acidity and taut, wiry tannins that provide structure but also texture and volume. The fresh berry flavours carry into the long finish.  A finely crafted and perfectly balanced Vintage Port.

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