1985 Fonseca

[Alex Bridgeman]

Deep red, youthful and opaque. Stunning nose, full of sweet red jelly beans, very pronounced with just a hint of menthol. Full and rich on the palate; sweet, soft and concentrated with gentle tannins that give a lovely black pepperiness. Huge palate presence, with a soft and velvety texture. Dark chocolate dominates the finish, which is massive and long lasting. This is a fabulous bottle of a stunning port - absolutely amazing. 94/100. Drunk 11-Sep-12. 20 hour decant.

One of the wines drunk at the offline on 11th September 2012.
Gould Campbell 1977 tasting note
Graham 1960 tasting note
Smith Woodhouse 1977 tasting note

[griff]

I'm not sure it this helps the question of whether this port can be broached or not. Such a contrast of views at present. Maybe we will have to check once again.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I'm not sure it this helps the question of whether this port can be broached or not. Such a contrast of views at present. Maybe we will have to check once again.

Oh OK. If we really must. I suppose someone has to; it's all right. I'll do it for the team...



More seriously, I think this port can be drunk now with a lot of satisfaction, but it just needs a stonkingly long decant to show at its best.

[jdaw1]

F85, decanted 23:00 the previous night. Hint of purple, 90% opaque. Red grapes on nose. Taste very soft, with a hint of pétillant. Again, grape. Medium-big, sweet softness, lovely. Later I wondered about a possible overlap between the ‟hint of pétillant” and black pepper.