2018 Fonseca - Porto Late Bottled Vintage (750ml)

Fonseca, established in 1815, belongs to the Fladgate Partnership alongside Taylor Fladgate and Croft, and has built its reputation on a house style defined by opulent, dark-fruited intensity. Late Bottled Vintage, a category that offers much of the depth of a true Vintage Port without the decades of cellaring, is one of the styles in which Fonseca is most consistently celebrated, and its unfiltered LBVs in particular are considered benchmarks of the format.

The 2018 draws on fruit from Fonseca's own vineyards along with other top properties in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior, trodden in granite lagares using the house's robotic treading technology, which mimics traditional foot pressure without crushing the bitter grape seeds. The wine then ages for about four to six years in large oak vats before being bottled unfiltered and without fining, a choice that preserves texture and intensity and allows the wine to keep developing gradually in the bottle rather than arriving fully settled.

It shows a very deep, nearly impenetrable ruby color with a narrow brick rim, and an intense nose of blackberry, blackcurrant, and dark cherry layered over cocoa, licorice, and a whisper of wild herb and balsamic spice. The palate is full-bodied and round, built on dense, granular tannins, finishing with a long burst of black fruit and pepper. It pairs beautifully with Stilton, spiced fruit cake, or grilled lamb.