NV Fonseca Tawny 20YO (bottled 1978)

Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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DRT
Fonseca 1966
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NV Fonseca Tawny 20YO (bottled 1978)

Post by DRT »

D+0
A rich, dark, golden-red colour. Not much on the nose, perhaps a little candle wax. Very thick and extremely smooth in the mouth. Delicious sweetness at first but then a slightly hollow mid-palate. The sweet, nutty finish grows in the mouth and seems to go on forever. Very good :)

I hope the nose and the hollowness sort themselves out with some air as this could turn out to be a stunningly good wine.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
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benread
Niepoort 1977
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Re: NV Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (bottled 1978)

Post by benread »

DRT wrote:D+0
A rich, dark, golden-red colour. Not much on the nose, perhaps a little candle wax. Very thick and extremely smooth in the mouth. Delicious sweetness at first but then a slightly hollow mid-palate. The sweet, nutty finish grows in the mouth and seems to go on forever. Very good :)

I hope the nose and the hollowness sort themselves out with some air as this could turn out to be a stunningly good wine.
Another one of those bottles! I have one left. Did it need much decanting? I have found these need very careful decanting to get the fine sediment out.
Ben
-------
Vintage 1970 and now proud owner of my first ever 'half-century'!
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DRT
Fonseca 1966
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Re: NV Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (bottled 1978)

Post by DRT »

benread wrote:Another one of those bottles! I have one left. Did it need much decanting? I have found these need very careful decanting to get the fine sediment out.
I think you are thinking of Fonseca 10 Year Old Tawny, bottled 1979.

This was a lone bottle that I acquired in a batch of oddments on eBay about 5 years ago. It does have some fine sediment,but I'm gritting my teeth :wink:
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Andy Velebil
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: NV Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (bottled 1978)

Post by Andy Velebil »

DRT wrote:D+0
A rich, dark, golden-red colour. Not much on the nose, perhaps a little candle wax. Very thick and extremely smooth in the mouth. Delicious sweetness at first but then a slightly hollow mid-palate. The sweet, nutty finish grows in the mouth and seems to go on forever. Very good :)

I hope the nose and the hollowness sort themselves out with some air as this could turn out to be a stunningly good wine.
WHOA! hold the phone. This isn't the first time I've heard of you loving a wood aged Port. So just stop this non-sense now as your giving you and your fellow UK'ers a bad name :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Alex Bridgeman
Graham’s 1948
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Re: NV Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (bottled 1978)

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

It's OK. He's mixed it with some blackcurrant cordial before tasting it :330000:
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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JacobH
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: NV Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (bottled 1978)

Post by JacobH »

Andy Velebil wrote:WHOA! hold the phone. This isn't the first time I've heard of you loving a wood aged Port. So just stop this non-sense now as your giving you and your fellow UK'ers a bad name :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Can it still be called ‟wood-aged” if it’s spent far longer in the bottle than the barrel? ;-)
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Andy Velebil
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Re: NV Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (bottled 1978)

Post by Andy Velebil »

JacobH wrote:
Andy Velebil wrote:WHOA! hold the phone. This isn't the first time I've heard of you loving a wood aged Port. So just stop this non-sense now as your giving you and your fellow UK'ers a bad name :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Can it still be called ‟wood-aged” if it’s spent far longer in the bottle than the barrel? ;-)
Only if the bottle is wrapped in wood
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JacobH
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: NV Fonseca 20 Year Old Tawny (bottled 1978)

Post by JacobH »

Andy Velebil wrote:
JacobH wrote:
Andy Velebil wrote:WHOA! hold the phone. This isn't the first time I've heard of you loving a wood aged Port. So just stop this non-sense now as your giving you and your fellow UK'ers a bad name :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Can it still be called ‟wood-aged” if it’s spent far longer in the bottle than the barrel? ;-)
Only if the bottle is wrapped in wood
Yikes; does that mean a substantial part of my Port is ‟matured in cardboard”? :shock: :shock:
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