1996 Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage Port

Bottled in 2001. 20% alcohol. Purchased locally for $15.99.

Opened and served immediately (<---please note) in Spiegelau Port glasses. Served stand alone as an after dinner drink.

The color of this wine was bordering between garnet and ruby, more towards the ruby side, with very good clarity. The nose showed a little promise, starting off rich with cranberries, maple, almonds, raisins and a hint of a soft spiciness to come such as nutmeg. Unfortunately, the wine didn’t deliver the goods once it hit the palate. The tannins came across as hard coupled with a sharp acidity that did not match well. Fruits were between medium and weak. Tack on some alcohol that was running a little hot and you end up with a wine that is out of balance. Flavors were mostly dirty and bitter in nature, dominated by raisins and an odd burnt brown sugar. The body of the wine was light, similar to a ruby. This wine is way to inconsistent, disjointed and just plain simple. I can’t really give a drinking window because I’m not certain at this point it will come together. I would score this overall in the area of 80 points and rate its’ overall value as poor.

Sorry.