Fonseca
20 Year Old Tawny Porto

COUNTRY

Portugal

TABLE #

5210

REGION

Douro Valley

93

This is perfumed with spicy violet and truffle notes, which fold over on the palate and join juicy plum and black currant accents. Features a refined frame that turns more muscular on the finish, which boasts spiced vanilla bean. Drink now through 2030. 1,064 cases made, 142 cases imported.

Fonseca’s three vineyards—Quinta do Panascal, Quinta de Cruzeiro and Quinta de Santo António—all form the backbone of the famous Fonseca Vintage Portos, produced only in vintages that are “declared” as being of the highest quality. Fonseca is recognized across the Douro as a leader of viticultural practices for Porto and has spearheaded development of organic and sustainable programs across the region. The fruit for Fonseca Vintage Port is foot trodden in granite lagares on the estate. Fermentation is halted by the addition of grape spirits before all the residual sugar has been fermented, creating a sweet, fortified wine. The wine is aged for two years in oak before being bottled unfiltered.

Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
This aged tawny Porto is made from selected grapes from the best vineyards of the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior. In the winery, the newly developed, robotic “Port Toes” technology for treading allows the winery to maximize the quality of the fruit by mimicking the gentle action of human feet during traditional foot treading. Fermentation is halted by the addition of grape spirits before all the residual sugar has been fermented, creating a sweet, fortified wine. Each year, a portion of this ruby wine is set aside according to its aging potential to be added to Fonseca’s stocks for blending. The wine is aged in 600-liter neutral oak barrels, considerably smaller than those used for Ruby Portos. As the stocks age, the wines take on increasingly more nutty flavors and become more concentrated as the barrels lose 3% of their volume every year (the “Angels’ Share”) to evaporation. Fonseca cellars its aged tawnies upriver in the Douro rather than in Vila Nova de Gaia near the river’s mouth; the considerable difference in heat and humidity between these two areas lends Fonseca’s aged tawny Portos a very distinctive “baked” richness reminiscent of butterscotch. The 20 Year Old Tawny is a blend of wines, selected from these stocks, that have been aged for an average of 20 years.
Average of 20 years in neutral oak
This is a mature wine of deep amber color with russet highlights. The bouquet’s complex marriage of ripe, plummy fruit, warm cinnamon and butterscotch notes and subtle oak nuances are confirmed on the palate, which is sweet and voluminous, with a velvety texture carrying into a long, elegant finish.
Pairs well with figs, almonds, pecan pie, caramel and crème brûlée. It can be served at the end of the meal on its own, with walnuts or dried fruit, and can be slightly chilled in the summer. Made to be enjoyed immediately.
20%
111.6 g/l
4.65 g/l
3.49
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