Sunday, 5 April 2015

Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage 1974

Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage 1974


The appearance was of a clear pale but deep ruby colour with a slight amber tinge. The nose was light with raw alcohol predominating. On tasting it became apparent that this did not have the deep richness of a classic vintage, which was not surprising considering that it didn't come from one of the classic years. Instead there was a pleasant balance between the moderate degree of sweetness and the warming bite of the alcohol accompanied by a tinge of lemon.  There wasn't the slightest hint of any harshness, just a good balance of grape sugar and fortifying spirit. Although towards the end of its drinking life it was interesting to find out what a good experience could be obtained from a light vintage port after long ageing. It was different and unlikely to be reproduced by any other means.

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