PORT

WINE ADVOCATE - 91 POINTS An attractive, smoky, tarry, roasted black fruit character dominates this opaque ruby/purple-colored wine's aromatic profile. Low acidity, sweet, rich fruit, and a forward, expansive feel suggest this full-bodied wine will mature quickly, but it will last for at least two decades. Like a few other 1994s, it almost seems too easy to drink at this stage. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020.

WINE ADVOCATE 92-94 POINTS-"The 2016 Vintage Port is a field blend that was set to be bottled about a week after this tasting. It was the final blend, aged for 20 months in wood. It comes in with 104 grams of residual sugar. Tight, powerful and very intense, this is a big boy with the firmness you expect from fine Vintage Port, although the Fonseca is even more powerful. Showing good concentration and a fresh, lifted finish too, this is impressive at the outset. Initially, I was wowed by this. A few more tastes with more air made me think I'd like to see it prove some things in the cellar. It's not hot, but it seems a bit more alcoholic than its Fonseca and Taylor siblings. Still, there's a long way to go before making a final call. As noted, this is very tight, not nearly as approachable as many 2016s are in this relatively restrained year. It won't sear your mouth with tannins—they are not TOO hard—but you are going to have to cellar it a while to allow it to acquire more complexity and more harmony. I'm not quite convinced this will ever become as attractive as Taylor and Fonseca in this vintage, though."

ROBERT PARKER 96 POINTS - "The massive 1994 is unquestionably the finest Dow I have tasted since the 1977. This opaque purple-colored wine is not as developed or flamboyant as Fonseca, but it is super-concentrated and multi-layered, with huge masses of fruit and some tannin in the finish. This is a slightly drier style than Fonseca or Graham's, but it appears to be a classic, majestic, enormously constituted 1994 that should age effortlessly for three decades or more. It is one of the stars of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030."

As all savvy Port aficionados know, ’94 ranks as one of the very best Port years of the 20th Century. When this Dow was first released in October of 1996 Robert Parker gave it 96 Points.

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - " This is an extraordinary house that seems to have been particularly successful with its vintage port since 1977.The 1977, still a baby, is fabulously scented, very rich and concentrated, and has a potential longevity of at least another 20-40 yrs years."

WINE SPECTATOR 92 POINTS - " Medium brick-red. Aromas of coffee, prune and milk chocolate. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a licorice, berry, custard and cream character. Firm and racy. Long and delicious. Firm and beautiful. Just ready now. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Best from 2010 through 2040. (Web-2008)

ROBERT PARKER 96 POINTS - "The massive 1994 is unquestionably the finest Dow I have tasted since the 1977. This opaque purple-colored wine is not as developed or flamboyant as Fonseca, but it is super-concentrated and multi-layered, with huge masses of fruit and some tannin in the finish. This is a slightly drier style than Fonseca or Graham's, but it appears to be a classic, majestic, enormously constituted 1994 that should age effortlessly for three decades or more. It is one of the stars of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030."

As all savvy Port aficionados know, ’94 ranks as one of the very best Port years of the 20th Century. When this Dow was first released in October of 1996 Robert Parker gave it 96 Points.

WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS - "Very grapey, with lots of black licorice and blackberry character. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a long, exquisite finish. Refined and well-made. Best after 2012. 9,000 cases made."

WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS - "Aromas of blackberries and licorice follow through to a full-bodied palate, with lots of sweetness, fine tannins and a caressing, textured finish. A refined Dow. Best after 2012. 8,500 cases made.'

WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - " Wine Spectator - "Medium-bodied, with a fresh allure to the baked apricot, dried mango and cherry tart flavors. Long and delicate on the spice filled finish. Drink now."

WINE ENTHUSIAST 90 POINTS - " Wine Enthusiast - "A wine that is in the fresh, sweet style of 10-year-old, while balancing chocolate, cocoa and dark fig flavors. A firm structure keeps this profusion of flavors in order."

WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - "Delicate, with a lively array of bright dried mango, date and dried apricot flavors that feature plenty of smoky notes. Features white chocolate, fruitcake and honey notes on the rich finish. Drink now. 5,000 cases made."

INTERNATIONAL WINE CELLAR 90 POINTS - " International Wine Cellar - "Complex aromas of toffee, roasted nuts, lead pencil, orange peel and caraway seed. Intensely flavored fruit is silky but nicely delineated; offers a fresh flavor of orange peel. Not at all thick, but brisk and vibrant. Finishes clean and long, with hints of smoked nuts and marzipan. This has far stronger material than the 10-Year-Old, which seemed clumsy and dull in comparison."

JAMES SUCKLING 96 POINTS-"Aromas of blueberries, blackberries and dried flowers plus hints of slate follow through to a full body, very fine tannins and a driven and linear finish. Orange peel and dried fruit. Sleek and racy. Ready to try in 2024."

WINE ENTHUSIAST 89 POINTS - "A dry wine, the sweetness overtaken by tannins, black currant stalkiness and acidity. It works well as a more serious style of Reserve Port, hinting at aging potential."

WINE SPECTATOR 92 POINTS - "Rich, smooth and polished, with an array of dried apricot, pearand guava notes that are accented by plenty of apple woodsmoke notes. The lush finish surges with mineral, along with hintsof peat and ginger cream. Drink now." 2010

WINE ENTHUSIAST 93 POINTS - " Always great, this is softer, less intense than in the past. But there is still great richness, and power as well as smoothness, burnt caramel blending well with the spirit, and finishing with its inimitable fresh acidity." 2007

WINE SPECTATOR 95 POINTS - "Gorgeous vibrant and grapey, with good cut to the luscious dark fruit and cedar flavors that are flanked by zesty acidity and tannins. A touch brooding midpalate, with a minerally rush and a finish of slate and iron. Best from 2016 through 2036."

WINE & SPIRITS 91 POINTS "Fruit interprets the alcohol in this wine with the orange-citrus scent of rum cake. Then Douro schist cuts the sweetness and strengthens the fruit presence to fuller pear, hazelnut and wildflower honey notes. It ends on a long, peppery buzz, delicious and satisfying."

WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - " Wine Spectator - "Refined, with bright flavors of dried berry, plum compote and cherry tart that are long and lush. Very creamy on the finish, which features chocolate mousse."

WINE ADVOCATE - 92 POINTS Fonseca is one of the great port lodges, producing the most exotic and most complex port. If Fonseca lacks the sheer weight and power of a Taylor, Dow or Warre, or the opulent sweetness and intensity of a Graham, it excels in its magnificently complex, intense bouquet of plummy, cedary, spicy fruit and long, broad, expansive flavors. With its lush, seductive character, one might call it the Pomerol of Vintage ports. When it is young, it often loses out in blind tastings to the heavier, weightier, more tannic wines, but I always find myself upgrading my opinion of Fonseca after it has had 7-10 years of age. The 1983 is magnificently scented, full-bodied, creamy, rather forward, but showing great length and character.

WINE SPECTATOR 93 POINTS - "A hard, take-no-prisoners Port, extremely powerful and still closed when last tasted. Deep inky color, with concentrated blackberry and raisin aromas, full-bodied, with massive raisin flavors, a superb backbone and a very long finish."

WINE SPECTATOR 100 POINTS-"Hold on to your hat. This is the best Fonseca since 1977, and it's probably even better than that classic vintage--more like the breathtaking 1948. Mind-blowing, with masses of color, aroma and fruit flavor. Smells like fermenting berries, boasting loads of crushed grape, violet and berry character. Big, full-bodied and very sweet, with tons of tannins and a sweet finish. Tannic and huge, it's a long-term, great Port. Best after 2012. 8,000 cases made."
WINE ADVOCATE 97 POINTS-"One of the most spectacular 1994s, this opaque purple-colored wine is an exotic, flamboyant, ostentatious port. Extremely fragrant and pungent, with a flashy display of jammy cassis, pepper, licorice, and truffles, this port is an attention-grabber. Awesomely rich, and full-bodied, with superb length, richness, and overall balance, it possesses a huge mid-palate, layers of flavor, an unctuous texture, and a blockbuster finish. Everything is in place, with the brandy and tannin well-integrated, even concealed by the masses of fruit and glycerin. This wine will drink fabulously well at age ten, but keep for up to thirty years."

WINE SPECTATOR 100 POINTS-"Hold on to your hat. This is the best Fonseca since 1977, and it's probably even better than that classic vintage--more like the breathtaking 1948. Mind-blowing, with masses of color, aroma and fruit flavor. Smells like fermenting berries, boasting loads of crushed grape, violet and berry character. Big, full-bodied and very sweet, with tons of tannins and a sweet finish. Tannic and huge, it's a long-term, great Port. Best after 2012. 8,000 cases made."
WINE ADVOCATE 97 POINTS-"One of the most spectacular 1994s, this opaque purple-colored wine is an exotic, flamboyant, ostentatious port. Extremely fragrant and pungent, with a flashy display of jammy cassis, pepper, licorice, and truffles, this port is an attention-grabber. Awesomely rich, and full-bodied, with superb length, richness, and overall balance, it possesses a huge mid-palate, layers of flavor, an unctuous texture, and a blockbuster finish. Everything is in place, with the brandy and tannin well-integrated, even concealed by the masses of fruit and glycerin. This wine will drink fabulously well at age ten, but keep for up to thirty years."

WINE SPECTATOR 94 POINTS - " Wine Spectator - "Intense, powerful and complex, this features heady aromas and flavors of toffee, marzipan, butterscotch and chocolate. Notes of mocha and French roast chime in as well, with a long, glorious finish of dried white fruits and spice."

WINE ENTHUSIAST 94 POINTS - " - "This gorgeous Port is at the perfect stage where there are still freshness and hints of orange and dried fruit, while the wood aging is concentrating the wine into its essence."

NEAL MARTIN 96 POINTS-The 2016 Fonseca Vintage Port began to be picked on 21 September at their Panascal vineyard, their Quinta do Cruzeira vineyard not picked until 6 October. It is deep, almost inky in colour. The bouquet is very intense with luscious black fruit laced with embers, clove and hints of bay leaf. There is wonderful purity here and a broodiness that suggests you'd better be patient. The palate is sweet and lively on the entry with some gorgeous ginger and curry leaf notes littered over the compact black fruit. There is wonderful density to this Fonseca. It is like a coiled spring with so much energy towards the finish that you just know this will be a long-term prospect. Superb. Production is 4,900 cases.

WINE ADVOCATE 96-98 POINTS-The 2016 Vintage Port is a field blend that was not quite bottled when seen (set for a week later), but it was the final blend. It was aged for 20 months in wood and comes in with 99 grams of residual sugar. This Fonseca is remarkably expressive, lifted and gloriously fresh. It has good concentration but some years have had more and seemed sexier. However, the most notable feature is the structure. It is very impressive in structure, that classic Port power and firmness coming to the fore and overshadowing the rest at the moment. This is very tight and very unevolved. Don't even think of buying it if you aren't prepared to cellar it. The 2030 start date that I have will not be even close to late enough if you want harmony and complexity. To me, this is the best of the three 2016s from the Fladgate Group this issue (Croft and Taylor being the other two), thanks to its pure intensity, but time will tell if it becomes as sexy as I'm sure Taylor's will be. In the meanwhile, Fonseca looks like one of the greats of this vintage."

JAMES SUCKLING 95 POINTS-"Ripe and soft with loads of plummy, smoky and earthy character. Full body. Very sweet. Round and very soft textured. Flavorful finish. Drink in 2025 and onwards."

ROBERT PARKER 97 POINTS - "An extraordinary Vintage Port, the powerful, exotic, multidimensional 1970 boasts a dark plum color with light amber at the rim. An intoxicatingly fragrant perfume of incense, liquorice, caramel, black and red fruits, and notions of saddle leather soars from the glass of its unctuously textured, full-bodied, velvety offering. This magnificent Port is finally hitting full maturity, where it should rest for another 20+years."

WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - " Somewhat of a lightweight for Fonseca, but undeniably charming, this dark ruby/purple-colored wine offers a floral, exotic, flamboyant bouquet, a sweet, fleshy style, but not a great deal of weight or massiveness. Heady alcohol, sweet tannin, and a velvety texture make for a gorgeous finish. While I would have preferred to have seen more weight, structure, and intensity, this is an outstanding, albeit lighter than normal Fonseca. Anticipated maturity: now-2020."

STEPHEN TANZER'S INTERNATIONAL WINE CELLAR 93 POINTS - " Full saturated ruby. Inky, brooding aromas of syrupy black fruits and violet. Dense, thick and tactile, with superb depth of flavor and compelling juicy sweetness. Finishes with powerful tannins and superb grip. Not as flamboyantly aromatic as this wine normally is in its youth, but structured for long, slow development in bottle."

WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - "Fresh and grapey, with plenty of grip and power behind dark plum, chocolate and berry flavors that feature slate and pepper notes."