Winemaker Notes
Opaque purple-black at the center with a very thin, purple edge. Dense blackberry and blackcurrant aromas form the backdrop for a display of fresh, minty, balsamic scents and resiny notes of wild herbs. Discreet hints of exotic wood, liquorice and black pepper provide an additional dimension of complexity. The thick, tightly woven tannins provide both firmness and volume to the palate which is built around a core of dense, dark berry fruit. Plummy, raspberry flavors emerge on the long, luscious finish, giving it an attractive crispness and lift. An exceptional Guimaraens Vintage Port, expressive and approachable but with the stamina to improve over many years in the cellar.
Enjoy with blue cheese, aged cheeses, desserts made with dark chocolate or berries, nuts or dried fruits.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Guimaraens Vintage Port is a field blend coming in at 101 grams per liter of residual sugar. This was a tank sample when seen, out of barrel, the final blend and awaiting bottling in a couple of weeks. It should be released by the time this article appears. This is the blend Fonseca releases when there is no "classic" vintage declaration. It is usually intended to be approachable a bit earlier, much like a second wine. It seems pretty impressive this year, though. Round, big and lush, it might well be the best of the 2015s from the Fladgate Partnership, especially on the hedonism scale. It also seems to be the most concentrated of the Fladgate Partnership's wines this issue, full bodied and mouth coating. With air, this shows plenty of tannins underneath, too, but the mid-palate depth balances everything perfectly. Underneath that first rush of everything is intensely flavorful and fresh 2015 fruit. That's what this vintage tends to deliver. As relatively fat as this is in its youth, it also seems relatively dry this year. This has a long life ahead and the potential for significant development. It may be approachable on the younger side, but I'd personally like to put it away for at least 15 years (from vintage date). It quite possibly needs considerably more cellar time, particularly depending on how much complexity you demand. (I personally tend to lean to longer in my own tastes, but each to his own.) It should age very well, too. Winemaker David Guimaraens told me that he "guaranteed" at least 50 years from vintage date. I think he's right, but let's check back in with him around 2065 and jeer if he is wrong. This is a can't-miss bargain at the price.
Range: 93-95 -
James Suckling
A firm and gutsy Fonseca with medium to full body, chewy and powerful tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Lots of blueberry, blackberry and mineral undertones. Even some slate. Long and powerful. Medium sweetness. Better in 2019.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a ripe and delicious wine, packed with tannins as well as perfumed fruit. It has density as well as rich blackberries and acidity to balance. The wine will be ready to drink from 2025.
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Wine Spectator
This is warm and lush in feel, and really well-built, with layers of blueberry, açaí berry and plum reduction flavors rolling through, laced with hints of ganache and fruitcake. Lots of graphite-edged grip lines the finish.
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.