A vintage Port wine which manages to combine the massive structure and powerful fruitiness of the 2009 harvest with elegance, poise and finesse.
2009 will be remembered as a year of very low yields. This was partly due to the small amount of fruit and also to the effect of the very dry ripening season. Bud burst started in the first week of March. All vine varieties showed low fertility although the vegetation was healthy and vigorous. Vérasion (colouring of the grapes) also occurred earlier than usual.
The ripening season started with relatively cool weather which continued throughout July but in August this turned to intense heat. From July right through to the harvest in September, there was almost no rain. These hot, arid conditions produced concentrated musts, rich in colour, tannins and sugar.
The year produced Vintage Ports of massive scale, not unlike the iconic vintage ports of the twentieth century. They are port wines built to last.
Winemaker: Jose Neiva Correia Country
Region: Portugal
Liboa Terroir: DFJ Vinhos Single Estates
Grape Varieties: Alvarinho 50% and Chardonnay 50%
Winemaker: Jose Neiva Correia Country
Region: Portugal
Liboa Terroir: DFJ Vinhos Single Estates
Grape Varieties: Touriga Nacional
An elegant rosé wine with stunning fruit character and a bubbly personality make this wine so much more than just a holiday romance. Bursting with red fruits and citrus freshness, Portugirl is an elegant, sophisticated Rosé.
A Vinho Verde with fresh and lively aromas of fruity green apple, lime, and mineral notes. On the palate, it is crisp, light, and refreshing with a zippy acidity.
A narrow magenta ring around a core of inky purple black. The nose opens with a burst of dark, woodland fruit, dense and succulent, blended with fresher, more vibrant red berry aromas. A slatey minerality holds this exuberant fruitiness in check. At this stage, the nose is still reserved and discreetly aromatic, revealing leafy, balsamic scents and cedary notes of sawn wood. The first impression on the palate, as on the nose, is of tightly packed, dense dark berry fruit, which then explodes on the mid-palate and surges into the long finish. The texture is round and velvety but the taut, sinewy tannins and a strand of crisp acidity provide firmness and structure. The layered, complex fruit typical of Fonseca holds sway over this weighty, powerful wine.
Opaque purple-black at the centre with a very thin, purple edge. A classic Fonseca nose redolent of heady, woodland fruit, powerful but also very fine and complex. The dense blackberry and blackcurrant aromas form the backdrop for a display of fresh, minty, balsamic scents and resiny notes of gumcistus and wild herbs. Discreet hints of exotic wood, liquorice and black pepper provide an additional dimension of complexity.
Deep purple/black colour. Lovely plump, typically Fonseca, voluptuous. Delicious pungent jammy fruit – compote of cherry and black plum. Rich and creamy. Powerful, aromatic, rich fresh fruit nose. Nice touch of cedar. Again wonderfully plump, luscious jammy fruit coming through on the mouth. Fleshy, rich, rounded. A hint of liquorice. Great, yet smooth, tannins. Good volume and balance. Nice long, succulent, lingering finish.
Complex and elegant bottle matured bouquet. Plum and cherry fruit with spicy, aromatic background. Lean, stylish wine with good structure. Fresh, firm finish that holds well.