For those of you thinking "WS" and "TAA" are yet more BB acronyms with which you must become familiar, they refer to Wine Spectator and Tasting Across America. For further info, please click here:

http://forums.winespectator.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=9306023451&f=3146091161&m=9076067&r=9076067#9076067

and here:

http://forums.winespectator.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=9306023451&f=6826053161&m=89260512

Now on to the TNs, pasted from the WS thread:

I must confess that I originally opened and tasted this wine last Friday, not to flount the rules of the TAA, but to give it a fair chance of showing well. From my experience, almost any port (not the very old ones) needs lots time to breath. And I may be the only one that thinks this, but my experience with LBVs has been that they tend to be better a day or two after opening, and sometimes are even better a week later. I try not to keep them open for more than about 10 days, this is rarely a problem!

So how did the 97 Fonseca LBV port do? Sadly, not very well, IMHO. The night we opened it, we had already finished two bottles of white, three bottles of red (including a 2000 Dead Arm, a 2001 Rancho Zabaco zin, and a 2000 Domaine Brusset gigondas), and lots of BBQ-ed rib steaks with homemade Bernaise sauce, between 6 of us (5 really, since once was driving). We drank this port alongside a 1987 Taylor Vargellas vintage port and some NV Chambers Rutherglen muscadelle tokay, accompanied by a mild-ish blue cheese, dark chocolate, and other usual sweet wine matches.

The night it was opened, I found this port to be very hot, sharp, thin, with too-pronounced alcohol, not enough fruit, and not even enough sweetness. Of course, even a great LBV would probably have trouble showing well against the 87 Vargellas (WS 93 points I think) and the Chambers (WS 94 points, I think). It was telling, though, that while I gave everyone a taste, and left it on the table, even after the vintage port was gone no one went for seconds of the Fonseca. And despite what they'd had up to then, this was a group that would have slurped it all back if it was good.

I've had a bit more of this almost every night since last Friday, with a variety of food matches, and with nothing, and while it has shown a bit better since its first night, this is not a port that I can recommend to anyone. Then again, I tend to be a bit of a port snob when it comes to anything other than vintage port. We've had this debate here before, but in my view, the much higher prices demanded by vintage ports over LBVs, crusteds, and other almost-vintage ports, is usually well worth paying. Aside from the Dow crusted port, I don't think I've had a non-vintage port that I liked as much as even an average vintage port. I usually like them well enough, especially for the price, just not as much as a full, rich, jammy, sweet, mouth-coating-throat-seducing-"my-God-that-was-good!" vintage port.

I'm tasting it again as I type this, to give it one more chance to shine, and while it is better than it was the first night, it is just not getting the job done. Maybe I got an off bottle, but I'm scoring this one 80 points, sad to say.

Finally, thanks again for the warm and gracious welcome I got on returning to these forums for what I hope will not be a brief or infrequent visit. Despite the occasional flare-up of hostilities between WS and VinoCellar forumites, we can all only be better off from any cross-fertilization that goes on. It's been a pleasure, and I will certainly try to pop up here more often!

bman...

Please do!!!

Second that.
And thank you for the notes, they're much appreciated.

The Fonseca had some fairly serious competition with those wines, but even with the benefit of the doubt that producer should have done better.

I had the 1996 instead since I couldn't find the 1997 so I posted my note in a separate thread. If is here.

Well, as tradition used to be, the idea is to not look at previous posts and Tasting Notes when supplying your own TN for a TAA, so here we go....

Only opened two hours ago and decanted a 1/4 bottle of it to get some air into it.

Very dark ruby red, but not as black as I've seen other vintage ports. I know this isn't a VP, but that's all I really can compare with. As ports go, I'd say this sticks to the sides of my Riedel Vinum Port glass fairly well, but doesn't leave any color on the sides as others have.

The nose has that sweet blackberry fruit going for it with a bit of alcohol trying to make me sneeze.

On the palate is a much lighter wine than I anticipated for a port, but it's tasty. Dark fruits... blackberry, blueberry, cherry all mixed in, but other than that, it's fairly one dimensional. Fruity, alchohol kick on the mid palate. Acidity seems nicely balanced at least. Finish is on the short side for a port (again comparing to VP) and the aftertaste leaves me an earthy fig taste. This is pleasant to drink, and definitely a good port. Nothing mind blowing, but nothing wrong with it really either. Not sure any time in bottle will help this out much other than for the flavors to change with age, not necessarily get better with age.

Rev rates it: 84.

I'm going to copy and paste this on the WS forums in honor of our beloved bman, who can hopefully open my eyes to some more good port and sweeties. As he prediected, I will indeed need to buy some more Chambers muscat after having it last night.

Insert flattered and coyly blushing graemlin here.....

(I know there's a blushing graemlin available, but it's not blushing coyly, so who knows if it's flattered or not.....)

I went back to this tonight... just pulled the cork from the 3/4 of a bottle remeaning after taking it out of the cellar.

This seems much sweeter now, and the alcohol isn't as potent now. Still doesn't have much going on though..... just sweet fruit... I have one more bottle.... I'll open whenever I have some non wine drinking friends come over who think "drinking a port must be cool"

Still a fun experience for me though... glad to have tried my first LBV.

I tried it again last night. The bad news is hotness has dissipated. The worse news is so has just about everything else. If you want some good news it actually works fairly well in as a port wine sauce.