1977 Fonseca

[Alex Bridgeman]

Fonseca 1977, from magnum. Decanting timings not known, tasted at 20.30.

A warm, mature red, 40% opaque. Rather subdued on the nose at first, but a bit of encouragement allowed a little dried fruit to emerge. The palate also shows gentle fruit, fruit which develops nicely but which holds quite a lot of heat to give a very spicy palate. Warm menthol aftertaste leads to a nice length red jelly finish. Some discussion resulted in a conclusion this wine might be in a closed phase of its development cycle. 90/100. (Filtered through sterile surgical gauze.)

Sample B did not show as well as A, a little more hollow on the palate and lots of heat on the aftertaste. (Freehand decanted then stored in the fridge.)

Sample C showed better than A, with a little more fruit on the palate and a good finish. (Freehand decanted, stored at cellar temperature.) 90/100.
Tasted at the Decanting Experiment on 28-Feb-23.