NV Fonseca - Porto Tawny Port 10 Year Old

Fonseca was founded in 1822 by Manuel Pedro Guimaraens and remains closely linked to Taylor Fladgate, sharing ownership while keeping its own distinct, generous style within the Port world. The house draws its tawny stocks primarily from its own estate vineyards, and unlike many shippers, it ages these tawnies upriver in the Douro itself rather than in the cooler cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia, a choice that speeds the wine's evolution and deepens its character.

Each year, a portion of Fonseca's ruby-style Port is set aside based on its aging potential and added to the house's tawny reserves. Grapes are traditionally foot-trodden, a process the estate has also replicated using a robotic system designed to mimic that gentle action. The wine matures in smaller, 600-liter neutral oak barrels, which offer more surface contact than standard casks, before an average of ten years in wood produces the final blend.

The color is russet with bright crimson highlights, opening into a fragrant bouquet of ripe fruit and butterscotch. The texture is smooth and silky, with subtle oak shadings balanced by fresh acidity and gentle tannic grip that carry through to a long, elegant, plummy finish. Serve with dried fruit, pecans, or walnuts.