FONSECA Vintage Port 2003 Bottle

Description

Fonseca's 2003 Vintage Port is a remarkable expression of the vintage, receiving 97 points from both James Suckling and Vinous. Suckling describes it as full-bodied with intense aromas of blackberries, dried fruits, and crushed stone, featuring chewy, velvety tannins that provide an approachable yet baby-like quality, suggesting optimal drinking in five to six years. Vinous echoes this sentiment, noting its saturated deep ruby color and a reticent nose of cassis and kirsch, leading to an explosion of sweet, exotic ripeness on the palate, with a captivating graphite note that clings to the palate. The Wine Advocate awards it 95 points, praising its elegance and freshness, while Decanter scores it 92 points for its vibrant fruit core and balancing grip. This vintage port is built for the long haul, promising an extraordinary tasting experience for decades to come.

*****

JAMES SUCKLING 97 Points
"Lots of intensity on the nose of blackberries, dried fruits, bark, mushroom and crushed stone. Full-bodied, medium-sweet with chewy velvety tannins. Just a baby now with so much to go, but approachable now at almost 20 years of age. Drinkable, but better in five or six years."

VINOUS 97 points
Saturated deep ruby. Brooding, reticent nose of cassis and kirsch; there's nothing cooked about this one! Then massive, sweet and superrich in the mouth; explodes with exotic ripeness. Intriguing note of graphite. This coats every nook and cranny of the palate and clings and builds on the back end in a way that no other wine of this vintage can match. Huge, sexy and wonderfully lush Fonseca, built for the long haul. As impressive as the best 2000s, and, along with the Quinta do Noval Nacional, is an early candidate for port of the 2003 vintage. - Stephen Tanzer

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95 points
Drink Date 2022 - 2060
The 2003 Vintage Port was aged for 21 months in wood and comes in at 92 grams of residual sugar. This is another oldie rereleased now. The Taylor's may be burlier and fresher, the Croft more nuanced and complex, but of the trio of 2003s in this report, this might well be the winner today. (Then again, it might not be; the comparison was certainly fun.) It has the most elegance, freshness and nuance, far younger than the Croft and more ready than the Taylor's. I can only say, I respect whatever choice you make; pick 'em. Personally, I lean to Taylor's in the longer run, but that is the least ready of the three.

DECANTER 92 points
Tasted by: Richard Mayson, Shane Jones, Demetri Walters MW
(at Decanter Tasting Suite, London, 01 Oct 2022) Part of Vintage Port 2000 and 2003: panel tasting results
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2045
Shows a vibrant fruit core of blackcurrant, plum and black cherry, some refreshing herbal notes, and ripe/rolling mouthfeel – all kept fresh with balancing grip.

JANCIS ROBINSON 18.5 points
Very dark purplish crimson. Quite volatile. Mouth-filling, spreads across the palate in a very convincing way. Lots of dry tannin (in stark contract to 29 served just before it!). All the ingredients here. Good, dry finish yet a very eloquent testament to 2003’s ripeness. Later note: Very big, beef extract. Plus lots of ripe fruit and quite noticeable acidity. Fine tannins. Everything is here. Very long. Flagship from Fladgate. (JR)