Fonseca Vintage Port 1994

In both 1992 and 1994, Fonseca was the top wine of the vintage, and now again in 1997 it is the finest wine both out of barrel and in bottle. A seamless wine that shows complex aromas of plum and spices, the structure to age effortlessly, and a lovely long finish.

Saturated blackish purple. Full=bodied. Highly extracted. Moderately tannic. Violets, blackberry, chocolate. Flora; accents on the nose lead a heavyweight palate with a solid mouthful of tightly wound fruit flavors showing great generosity up front. Finish is dominated by imposing tannins. A long-term keeper.

A young Port, with good, dark color and mineral and raspberry character. Medium- to full-bodied, with a solid core of fruit and a firm, silky finish. This is outstanding, but I expected a little more from Fronseca; not as impressive as when tasted from barrel. Best after 2006.

Fonseca vintage Ports are always among the most attractive and long-lived. This 2003 conforms magnificently to that model. It is structured, rich, powerful and opulent. There are cassis and black fig flavors, as well as sweet tannins. It is delicious already, and will remain delicious throughout its long life.

Intensely fruity on the nose, with lots of blackberry and violet. Full-bodied and lightly sweet, with slightly astringent tannins and a medium finish. Silky. Still very tight. Needs time. Best after 2010.

Fabulous nose of crushed raspberries, balckberries and licorice. Full-bodied and velvety, with superclean fruit and a long finish. Beauty. Very harmonious for Fonseca. Best after 2011.

Magnificent Fonseca, this vintage is perfectly in tune with the density of fruit Bruce Guimaraens manages to pack into a bottle. That harmony of vintage and house style raises Fonseca to the top levels of andrsquo;94. Tasters often imagine wines to have a physical shape, an impression of flavor intensity and depth over time, from the initial attack to the finish. Iandrsquo;ve often been fascinated by the shapes Taylor and Fonseca wines have taken on in my own taste memory. Both are made under the direction of Bruce Guimaraens, but the core fruit sources of each wine, and their subsequence styles are completely different. Fonseca, blended from grapes in the central Cima Corgo region of the Douro, reminds me of a curvaceous pear, round and ever more succulent as it ripens towards maturity. Fonsecaandrsquo;s andrsquo;94 has that beautiful shape, on a monumental scale. The power of its fruit and tannin is not blunt, but makes itself apparent in the way the wine maintains its perfect balance and form at such a scale.