1977 Fonseca

[Alex Bridgeman]

Purchased at El Vino, Fleet Street.

Firm red colour, firm into the rim; 90% opaque.

Sweet strawberry nose, faint but very promising with lots of cedar wood and tobacco richness.

Sweet fruit entry, beautifully balanced strawberry fruit with a mace complexity. Gentle tannins lurk and play in the background. There is a touch of heat on the aftertaste, then a long and fruit-driven finish of great length.

This is wonderful port, with great balance and great elegance yet still is a powerhouse of a port. 95/100. Drunk 9 May 2013 after a 1 hour decant.

[griff]

Are they still selling this? Wouldn't mind trying this again.

[Alex Bridgeman]

Are they still selling this? Wouldn't mind trying this again.

Sadly they are not. Despite our best lobbying attempts, this was the last bottle to be sold over the counter for consumption on premises.

But it was a damned good bottle and would be worth the list price of £150 if there were any left.

[djewesbury]

Your coy use of the words 'list price' suggests to me that you inveigled this bottle over the counter for substantially less than £150.. Or maybe I'm just creating a story that's more beautiful than the facts.. Two men, worn down by cares, leave their respective workstations and emerge into the sunlight somewhere near Ludgate Hill, ancient centre of the city.. There they find a life-giving elixir which empowers them to save the whole of humanity... etc etc etc

[Music by R Wagner, Camera and Hero CGI by D Jewesbury]

[griff]

A shame. Still, always good to finish matters on a good note

[Alex Bridgeman]

Good news. Sam, the rather lovely landlady of El Vino on Fleet Street, has persuaded her head office not to recall all the Fonseca 1977 that she has in her cellar. She has been able to keep 4 bottles. These will not be on display but will be available to members of the Port Forum who call ahead to request one. And the price you pay will be the list price of £150 - but very much worth it for a bottle of life-giving nectar needed after a care-worn day as a wage slave.

I have warned Sam that we may well drop by infrequently, perhaps not again for another 6 months, but she is happy to wait that long. She still remembers us from our last visit as "...the lunatics who pay more for a bottle of port than any other of her customers."

I was very happy. The next oldest port on her list is the Fonseca 1985. For me, having an excellent, mature port on the list (even if pricey) sets El Vino apart from their competitors. I don't know any other wine bar that offers port from the '70s off their list, especially not for prices close to retail.

[djewesbury]

Anyone...?