1955 Fonseca

[jdaw1]

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• 1955 Adam;
• 1955 Buckingham Palace Factory House Blend;
• 1955 Cockburn;
• 1955 Dow;
• 1955 Ferreira;
• 1955 Fonseca;
• 1955 González Byass;
• 1955 Graham;
• 1955 Mackenzie;
• 1955 Martinez;
• 1955 Niepoort;
• 1955 Quinta do Noval;
• 1955 Offley;
• 1955 Sandeman;
• 1955 Taylor;
• 1955 Warre;
• Placemats;
• Planning and arrangements.

Edit: and, with dinner,

• 1955 Chateau Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville in magnum.

[jdaw1]

F55: 70% opaque. Very red. Rich soft red-fruited sweetness early and mid-palate, then heat late-palate. Later the heat softened, improving the wine.

In the first flight competition (Ad, BPFHB, C, D, Fr, F, GB, and G) scoring 15½ points, being ranked second by six people, third by three, and third-equal by an indecisive RAH, for the Silver Medal of this flight.

[DRT]

My 6th TN of the evening says "Fabulously thick with lots of fruit and huge length. Simply delicious."

Those of you who know me well will appreciate how hard I must have been concentrating to use that many words in a TN so far into the first flight!

This was my third favourite for the first flight and overall.

[AHB]

More red than most of the other '55s shown at this tasting; 40% opaque. Nosing of dirty rhubarb and sweet quince. Sweet and caressing entry, silky mouthfeel and with a lovely peppery core to the sweet fruit. Air helps the sweet fruit to come through, but there is still a dry edge from the faint tannins. Aftertaste is sweet, full of almonds and marzipan followed by a finish of graprefruits sweetened with brown sugar. 89/100.

[Chris Doty]

Almost a table wine red color. This was one of only a small number of 'complete' wines at this tasting, still managing to balance fruit, spice, alcohol, and tannin. The only thing keeping it from an exceptional score is that the alcohol dominates the finish, and lingers in the mouth for much longer than I would prefer. Still, a very elegant drop that is holding its age well in check. 89 points

[Glenn E.]

Color: Middling dark and red.
Nose: Notably, smells like Port. Can't say that about all of the glasses in this flight.
Palate: Nice, still has tannins.
Finish: Warm, some tannins, and a green note.

Score: 88 points. Concensus ranked it 2nd of the first flight, behind the Graham and ahead of the Ferreira.