Late Bottled Vintage Porto 2018
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Portugal / Douro Valley Porto
LBV was developed as an alternate to Vintage Port. Like Vintage Port, LBV is a very high quality port from a single year. However, unlike Vintage Port, LBV is bottled after four to six years and is ready to drink when bottled. The wines used to produce Fonseca LBV were drawn from a reserve of some of the best full-bodied red Ports produced at the 2018 harvest, from grapes grown on Fonesca's own vineyards and on other top properties in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior areas of the Douro. LBV Unfiltered is aged in large wooden vats and then drawn off into the bottle with no fining or filtration. The result is a naturally expressive wine which has sacrificed none of its depth and fullness of flavor. Late Bottled Vintage is bottled when ready to drink
93 Points
jamessuckling.com
2018 vintage
Harvest Note
March was very wet and the heavy rainfall built up the reserves of ground water which would prove vital during the ripening season. The weather remained cold and wet. The growing cycle was about three weeks behind the schedule of the previous year, with véraison occurring in late July. July was dry and mild but August experienced intensely hot weather with temperatures over 104°F in its first few days. The heat allowed the cycle to catch up and although the hot weather continued the large amount of moisture in the soil resulted in an even and balanced ripening of the grapes. Harvesting began in the week of September 22nd and was carried out in hot dry conditions. The young wines were very deeply colored and stood out for their fresh fruit character and excellent acidity.
Tasting Note
Very deep, intense color with a very narrow brick rim. The nose is almost impenetrable, tightly packed with dense dark berry fruit aromas, black cherry, blackberry, and blackcurrant. The uncompromising berry fruit character is archetypal Fonseca, the intensity taken to an even higher degree by the fact that the wine is unfiltered, carrying all its body into the bottle. The dark brooding fruit is lifted by a discrete, minty aura of wild herbs. The palate is round and full bodied, with dense beautifully integrated granular tannins providing structure and weight, the luscious flavors culminating in an intense burst of black berry.
Technical Data
GRAPES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca
APPELLATION: Douro
PH: 3.7
ACIDITY: 4.9 g/l
ABV: 20%
AGING: Aged for 4 to 6 years in wood
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 100 g/l
Unique Selling Points
- A Late Bottled Vintage Porto made from fruit from Fonseca’s own estate vineyards
- Produced in high quality vintages in which a general vintage is not declared
- Similar characteristics of vintage Porto, but is ready to drink sooner than vintage
“My team and I strive to bring the very best performance out of our vineyards by careful nurturing of the vines, combined with the very best winemaking techniques available.”
David Guimaraens, Winemaker
About the Grape
Tinta Amarela
Tinta Amarela makes wines with intensely perfumed aromas of blackberry and tea, bold structure, deep color and excellent depth.
Tinta Barroca
Used to make Port wines, this high yielding grape has very high sugar content, which makes wines with pronounced floral character, good structure and firm, ripe tannins.
Tinta Cão
This grape has blackberry, game and meaty aromas, and contributes longevity and exceptional elegance to the blend of Port wines.
Tinta Roriz
Tinta Roriz produces deep-colored grapes of moderate acidity which make bold wines with firm tannins, excellent complexity and distinctive resin-like fragrance.
Touriga Franca
This grape has high tannins and is very aromatic; it lends structure and balance to Port wines. It shows intense fresh red fruit, earth and flower aromas, and is very fruity on the palate.
Touriga Nacional
Touriga Nacional produces wine with finesse, body and warmth that is dark, concentrated, massively tannic and aromatic. It ages to show the complex aromas typically found in mature vintage port.
