Classic Vintage Porto 2003
Trade Tools
Portugal / Douro Valley Porto
The backbone of Fonseca vintage ports are the wines drawn primarily from Fonseca's three quintas, all located in the Cima Corgo: Quinta de Santo Antonio, Quinta do Cruzeiro, and Quinta do Panascal. The finest grapes from these quintas produce its classic vintage ports. The grapes are trodden by foot in the stone 'lagares' of Cruzeiro and Panascal. Fonseca vintage ports are renowned for their voluptuous rich fruit, mouth-filling density, tannic structure and grip. They are wines of great balance and complexity.
Harvest Note
The Winter preceding the 2003 harvest was very wet. Flowering took place in bright warm weather at the end of May in some of the best conditions seen for several years. The first two weeks of August provided the intense summer heat which often precedes a great port vintage. The second half of August was cooler and two days of rain occurred with perfect timing, ripening off the grapes at the end of the month. The picking season in September was warm and dry and the yields were even across all grape varieties, ensuring balance and complexity in the wines.
Tasting Note
Fine deep color with brick red edge. Good depth of nose, sweet and harmonious, with rich, soft touches of dark chocolate and cherry. Elegant wine, some fine structure with exciting hints of spice and mint. A delightful vintage port with good tannins. Notes of blackcurrant and blackberry, real intense jams with cocoa notes and firm yet silky tannins. Powerful vintage port with fine ripe fruit, good expression, and a charming character.
Technical Data
GRAPES: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca
APPELLATION: Douro Valley
PH: 3.69
ACIDITY: 4.45 g/l
ABV: 20.56%
AGING: Aged for two years in oak, and has been aged in bottle for 20 years at the winery
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 92.1 g/l
Unique Selling Points
- The only Port house to receive perfect 100-point scores for four different vintages
- Finely constituted fruit, a hallmark of the house style, with attractive minerality
- Made with 100% foot-trodden grapes from our own properties
- This wine will develop for decades in the bottle
“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.
