Winemaker Notes
Fonseca Bin No. 27 was created over a century ago for family consumption, and only released commercially in 1972. It is produced primarily from wines from Fonseca's own quintas in the Cima Corgo and thus shows an exceptional quality and consistency from year to year. Blended from reserve wines selected for their intense fruit character and depth of color, Fonseca Bin No. 27 spends four years in large wood vats prior to bottling. Although it may improve slightly with bottle age, Bin No. 27 is ready to consume when bottled. It does not require decanting, as a cold precipitation prior to bottling prevents any "crust" from forming. Its well-knit structure, rich, velvety full body and luscious blackcurrant and cherry flavors, also evident in the nose, carry into an intense, lingering finish. Bin No. 27 should be served at room temperature either alone or with simple, classic last courses and desserts. It is best consumed within two weeks after uncorking.
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Pretty violet nose. Fragrant, soft and fleshy on the palate with attractive primary fruit and firm tannic grip. Finishes lengthily. Should age well. Blend : 20% Touriga Nacional, 20% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Roriz
-
Tasting Panel
A blend of select reserve Ports chosen for their full-bodied palates; dark ruby color; smooth and dense with toasty notes and rich, ripe, and deep flavors.
-
Wine Spectator
Fresh and grapey, with plenty of grip and power behind dark plum, chocolate and berry flavors that feature slate and pepper notes.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F. To learn more, see our full Port Wine Guide
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.