Winemaker Notes
Fine deep color with brick red edge. Good depth of nose, sweet and harmonious, some spirit on the nose, rich, soft touches of dark chocolate and cherry (cherry tomato). Harmonious, elegant wine, some fine structure with exciting hints of spice and mint, very focused fruit, soft. A delightful Vintage Port now with good tannins to take it to old age. Appears softer than usual. Closing nose. Big fruit, blackcurrant and blackberry, real intense jams with cocoa notes and firm yet silky tannins. Powerful Vintage Port. Fine ripe fruit, good expression, cherry, a charming character.
Vegan-Friendly
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Lots of intensity on the nose of blackberries, dried fruits, bark, mushroom and crushed stone. Full-bodied, medium-sweet with chewy velvety tannins. Just a baby now with so much to go, but approachable now at almost 20 years of age.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Fonseca vintage Ports are always among the most attractive and long-lived. This 2003 conforms magnificently to that model. It is structured, rich, powerful and opulent. There are cassis and black fig flavors, as well as sweet tannins. It is delicious already, and will remain delicious throughout its long life.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2003 Vintage Port was aged for 21 months in wood and comes in at 92 grams of residual sugar. This is another oldie rereleased now. The Taylor's may be burlier and fresher, the Croft more nuanced and complex, but of the trio of 2003s in this report, this might well be the winner today. (Then again, it might not be; the comparison was certainly fun.) It has the most elegance, freshness and nuance, far younger than the Croft and more ready than the Taylor's. I can only say, I respect whatever choice you make; pick 'em.
-
Wine & Spirits
This is a beauty right now. Violet in color, scent and texture, Fonseca uses all the plumpness of the vintage to best advantage. It glistens with freshness, with long, dark fruit flavors held in place almost invisibly by the persistence of tannin. The schisty scent of smoke off broken rock gives the structure its electricity, and, with the freshness of the fruit, will sustain the wine for decades. Drink 2028-'43.
-
Wine Spectator
This is hitting its stride now, with an alluring set of warmed ganache, toasted black sesame, plum cake and canned brown bread notes leading the way. Shows a black treacle hint, along with succulence and brambly grip on the back end, giving this a distinctive persona. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. Best from 2025 through 2045. Tasted twice, with consistent 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.