Fonseca 10 Year Old Tawny Red Port

”background information during the january following each vintage fonseca sets aside a reserve of very concentrated powerful vintage quality red ports selected primarily from the firm’s own quintas and judged according to their ageing potential. As tawny ports age they grow lighter in colour as they throw their deposit in the cask rather than in the bottle. The process of racking contributes to the oxidation process whereby the wine’s fruit qualities gradually diminish and its nutty characteristics are acquired. Moreover fonseca cellars its aged tawnies in the douro rather than in vila nova de gaia; the considerable difference in heat and humidity between these two areas lends fonseca’s tawny ports of age a very distinctive baked richness more reminiscent of butterscotch than of caramel. Fonseca aged tawnies are bottled for immediate drinking. Press comments decanter magazine november 1994 very opulent viscosity. Very rich. A very big solid wine. 3 stars. Richard may