Fonseca Port
Fonseca is one of the oldest and largest port shippers. First trading in 1815, the firm recruited Manoel Pedro Guimarãens. In 1822 he set sail for England; by travelling he could avoid persecution in Portugal as an outspoken liberal, and sell wines from London that Fonseca shipped. Manoel juggled a successful business with supporting fellow exiles of civil war. When Maria II emerged victorious, he was rewarded with the title of Knight, then Knight Commander, of the Order of Christ.
Around 1860 Manoel’s two eldest sons joined the firm, now M.P. Guimarãens & Son. Together they acquired the Fonseca trademark from the original owners’ heirs and, almost forty years later, the next generation joined: Frank (Pedro Francis Fladgate Guimarãens) came to Oporto to supervise vintage production. He remained in the position for more than 50 years, and since then the role has been passed to his great-nephew Bruce, then Bruce’s son David, Guimarãens. Fonseca is now owned by Taylor Fladgate but David, the sixth generation of Guimarãens, remains as head winemaker.
They are the only House with a perfect 100 points by critics on not one but four separate vintages in the last century, known globally for their wines’ intensity of fruit, opulence, structure and balance to last for decades. Wine experts praise the House; Robert Parker wrote: “Fonseca is one of the great port lodges, producing the most exotic and complex port… one might call it the Pomerol of Vintage Ports.” James Suckling also endorsed them, stating that Fonseca are “perhaps the most consistently great of all.”.
69 products found.
Fonseca Port, 1934
Vintage Port, DOC Douro Excellent Level
The house of Fonseca traces its origins to the early nineteenth century. The first evidence of the firm trading in Port is an entry dated 8th April, 1815, in the ledgers of the Real Companhia Velha, the royal monopoly company. This records the purchase of 32 pipes of Port by the firm’s founder, João dos Santos Fonseca. His first documented sale occurred on 14th September, 1815, followed in 1816 by his first overseas shipment.
Fonseca Ports are known for their intense and complex aromatics. A 1934 Fonseca will likely offer aromas of dried fruits (such as figs and dates), nuts (like almonds and walnuts), and spices. …
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Price: £1,495.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1934
Vintage Port
Bottled by Hatch, Mansfield and Co.
Provenance: Christies Sale Raby Castle
Fonseca’s 1934 stands out as an exceptional wine from a split vintage spanning 1934 and 1935. Bottled by Hatch & Mansfield, this is an extremely rare Port, with even the library stock in the Fonseca lodge being very limited.
Still with a deep red core, the wine offers a reserved and refined character, revealing dark chocolate intensity on the nose and a fuller, more textured palate. It exudes lively elegance and freshness, with a subtle hint of salinity adding complexity. Beautifully defined soft berry fruit is perfectly balanced by fine, linear tannins, while a cherry stone freshness lingers gracefully on the finish. …
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Price: £1,695.00
Stock: 5 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1927
Vintage Port Very Top shoulder | Slightly bin soiled label
Review by AHB - Portforum.com "A lovely rich red colour, warm and dark; 90% opaque. Showing little on the nose, but the little it is showing is warm and fruity — and very nice. A beautiful palate, soft entry with poise and balance. The fruit is generous, sweet and ripe and still plentiful. The palate is big and rich; stunning for a port of this age. The aftertaste is amazing — so full of fruit, of rich burnt fruitcake; mouthfilling and immense. This is stunning, stunning port.".
48 hours later a 6cl sample bottle was tasted which showed even mor ecomplexity, being sweeter and rounder than the pop 'n' pour version. …
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Price: £2,695.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1922
Vintage Port, DOC Douro
Pale tawny brown at the core, fading to amber with olive highlights at the rim. Faultless nose, extraordinarily complex, with notes of cedar, tobacco and orange flower perfectly intertwined, a sumptuous mellow undertone of molasses and butterscotch and a halo of fresh, minty herbal scent. An hour after decanting, the wine opened up an exotic spice chest of nutmeg, black pepper, cumin and, tobacco, later joined by coffee, aromatic wood and dried rose petal. Dense, thick, almost treacly palate, holding the spirit firmly in place and underpinned by a crisp acidity. A luscious infusion of treacle and toffee lingering into the endless finish. …
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Price: £2,395.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 1922
Vintage Port
Pale tawny brown at the core, fading to amber with olive highlights at the rim. Faultless nose, extraordinarily complex, with notes of cedar, tobacco and orange flower perfectly intertwined, a sumptuous mellow undertone of molasses and butterscotch and a halo of fresh, minty herbal scent. An hour after decanting, the wine opened up an exotic spice chest of nutmeg, black pepper, cumin and, tobacco, later joined by coffee, aromatic wood and dried rose petal. Dense, thick, almost treacly palate, holding the spirit firmly in place and underpinned by a crisp acidity. A luscious infusion of treacle and toffee lingering into the endless finish. …
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Price: £2,295.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
Fonseca Port, 2017
Vintage Port, DOC Douro
*** 17.5/20 - Jancis ***
*** 95/100 - Vinous ***
*** 18/20 - Mayson ***
Tasting Note
A narrow magenta ring around a core of inky purple black. The nose opens with a burst of dark, woodland fruit, dense and succulent, blended with fresher, more vibrant red berry aromas. A slatey minerality holds this exuberant fruitiness in check. At this stage, the nose is still reserved and discreetly aromatic, revealing leafy, balsamic scents and cedary notes of sawn wood. The first impression on the palate, as on the nose, is of tightly packed, dense dark berry fruit, which then explodes on the mid-palate and surges into the long finish. The texture is round and velvety but the taut, sinewy tannins and a strand of crisp acidity provide firmness and structure. …
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Price: £89.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 2007
Vintage Port ***96/100- Wine journal*** ***94/100- Wine Advocate***
96/100 (Outstanding) Wine journal
94/100 (Outstanding) Wine Advocate
Reviews: "The 2007 Fonseca Vintage Port is opaque purple-colored with a high-class perfume of lavender, Asian spices, pencil lead, incense, and an amalgam of black fruits. On the palate it is voluminous with layered, succulent fruit, outstanding density, and excellent integration of tannin, acidity, and alcohol. The long finish and the wine’s impeccable balance suggest a lengthy evolution and a drinking window extending out to 2045. " Jay Miller, Wine Advocate.
"The nose is quintessential Fonseca, like a riotous party reaching its crescendo in the glass. …
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Price: £89.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1996
Quinta do Panascal
1996 Fonseca Quinta do Panascal Vintage Port
Quinta do Panascal is one of Fonseca’s most celebrated estates in the Douro Valley, known for producing richly expressive single-quinta Vintage Ports. The 1996 vintage, while not a universally declared year, produced attractive and well-balanced wines at estate level, and this Panascal bottling now shows over two decades of graceful development.
Tasting Notes:
Deep ruby-garnet in colour with the first signs of maturity at the rim, the nose is inviting and aromatic, offering notes of ripe blackberry, cassis and dark plum layered with hints of violets, cedarwood and sweet spice. …
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Price: £89.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1994
Vintage Port
*** 97 Points - Parker ***
A 1994 Fonseca Vintage Port is a highly esteemed wine. The consensus among critics that the 1994 Fonseca Vintage Port is a remarkable wine, possessing the depth, complexity, and aging potential characteristic of a top-tier Vintage Port from an outstanding vintage.
Tasting notes
This astounding port is a deep, opaque ruby color with hints of garnet at the rim. It has complex aromas of blackberry, plum, and dark cherry, cocoa, vanilla, and exotic spices. The palate is full-bodied and rich, with ripe black fruits dominating, layers of dark chocolate, espresso, and baking spices adding depth. …
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Price: £139.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1986
Guimaraens Vintage Port
In undeclared vintages Fonseca bottle Guimaraens, provided the quality of the fruit is sufficient. This has a good depth of colour, with a moderate red-tawny hue. The nose has exotic notes of musky scent and spiced woods, together with some chocolate edged fruit. The palate has an impressive texture and sweetness immediately apparent on entry. Good fruit and a nice backbone of soft tannins. Elegant, with a touch of complexity, with balance, very much in the house style.
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Price: £149.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1985
Vintage Port
The 1985 Fonseca is a benchmark vintage Port from one of the Douro’s most esteemed producers. Widely regarded as one of the top Ports of the excellent 1985 vintage, it showcases Fonseca’s trademark richness, flamboyant fruit, and long ageing potential. Now nearing 40 years of age, the wine is in a glorious stage of maturity, offering both power and finesse in equal measure.
On the nose, the wine is intensely aromatic, with layers of black cherry, fig, and plum compote, interwoven with dark chocolate, licorice, and exotic spice. Subtle notes of violets, cigar box, and walnut emerge with air, reflecting both its noble origin and extended bottle age. …
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Price: £129.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1983
Vintage Port
Fonseca is one of our all-time favourites. Fonseca's 1983-vintage Port is made with a harvest that survived the first snowfall in Pinhão in 20 years and heavy rain through the spring. The result is intense aromas of dark chocolate, prune, fig and hints of rich double cream. Consider pairing its chocolate, fig, prune, raisin and walnut flavours with a cheeseboard or with festive fare over the Christmas period.
An outstanding Port rating 92/100 from an outstanding vintage. Robert Parker writes of this port... "Fonseca is one of the great port lodges, producing the most exotic and most complex port. …
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Price: £119.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1980
Vintage Port
The Fonseca 1980 Vintage Port is a distinguished wine from a vintage that, while not as widely celebrated as some others, has matured gracefully over the decades. Fonseca, renowned for its rich and opulent style, produced a Port in 1980 that offers a unique tasting experience, reflecting both the house's signature characteristics and the nuances of the vintage year.
In the glass, the 1980 Fonseca displays a pale garnet hue, indicative of its age. The nose is aromatic, with notes of herbs, lavender, and strawberry syrup. On the palate, it presents flavors of redcurrants, raisins, and a spicy mid-palate, culminating in a sweet aftertaste dominated by Seville orange marmalade and a hint of bitter coffee. …
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Price: £119.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1976
Guimaraens Vintage Port
1976 Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port
A beautifully mature Vintage Port from Fonseca’s Guimaraens label, the 1976 vintage has evolved into a wonderfully refined and expressive wine. Produced in years when a full Fonseca declaration was not made, Guimaraens Vintage Ports are renowned for offering excellent ageing potential while displaying the rich, opulent house style associated with Fonseca.
Now fully mature, the wine opens with complex aromas of dried black fruits, figs, walnut, cocoa, spice and cedarwood, layered with notes of tobacco leaf, leather and dark chocolate. With time in the glass, subtle hints of orange peel and earthy minerality emerge, adding further depth and elegance. …
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Price: £295.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1973
Crusted Port - Bottled in 1973
Badly Damaged labels
A very rare bottle of 1973 crusted port.
Crusted Port is a very small category, named because of the 'crust' of sediment that it forms in the bottle. Invented by the British-owned Port houses predominantly for the British Port drinker, it is intended to be a more economical alternative to Vintage or Late Bottled Vintage. Crusted is a blend of several harvests, which are bottled without being filtered and laid down to mature like Vintage wines. Using this approach allows the manufacturer to use some of the lesser harvests but still produce a good rich full bodied wine at an economical price. …
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Price: £185.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1972
Guimaraens Single Quinta Vintage Port
Fonseca has belonged in the first rank of Vintage Port producers since the nineteenth century. Its Vintage Ports are noted for their luscious fruitiness which develops great opulence and complexity with age.
This is a very rare example from the 1972 vintage. This wine has a tawny coloured rim around the outside. The nose is very gummy and thick with orange peel, slightly medicinal. Very reducted on the palate with thick tar, raisins, orange peel.
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Price: £395.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1970
Vintage Port
Imported and Bottled by Grants of St James
An outstanding port from a classic vintage. The Fonseca 1970 is now fully mature, and is probably one of the finest glasses of port that you will ever taste. A wine of this quality will age superbly for many decades to come. A magnificent wine with abundant ripe fruit flavours and concentrated tannins. Perfect harmony and balance places this Port amongst the all-time greats.
Robert Parker, renowned critic writes of this Port.... "... it excels in its magnificently complex, intense bouquet of plummy, cedary, spicy fruit and long, broad, expansive flavours. With its lush, seductive character, one might call it the Pomerol of Vintage ports. …
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Price: £195.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1968
Guimaraens Single Quinta Vintage Port
From the rare 1968 vintage, this Fonseca Vintage port is deep and attractive with a sweet nose and is well balanced with a peppery finish. Elegant and rich, lovely acidity, plummy fruit, ethereal and long.
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Price: £395.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Fonseca Port, 1966
Vintage Port
Labelled | Excellent Provenance | high fill
Fonseca Vintage Port 1966
The 1966 vintage is one of the most celebrated in Port history, producing wines of great richness, structure and longevity. Fonseca’s 1966 stands today as a magnificent expression of both the vintage and the house’s opulent, fruit-driven style.
In the glass, it shows a deep amber-tawny core with mahogany and olive reflections, revealing its long bottle ageing. The nose is powerful yet refined, offering layers of dried black cherry, fig, raisin and orange peel, followed by notes of cocoa, spice, liquorice, polished wood and subtle floral lift.
On the palate, the wine is wonderfully concentrated but beautifully balanced. …
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Price: £385.00
Stock: Out of Stock