Farr Vintners Logo

Fonseca Guimaraens 2018

RegionPort
Subregion Portugal > Port
ColourRed
TypeFortified

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Fonseca

Label

Tasting Notes

The 2018 Guimaraens Vintage Port, the first release since 2015, has a rich and opulent bouquet with black cherries, stewed figs and dates. It has a little more warmth than the Quinta da Roeda 2018 tasted alongside, certainly one of the more decadent aromatics. The palate is sweet and fleshy on the entry with black fruit, tar, desiccated orange peel, Xmas cake and juniper berries. I admire the harmony of this Vintage Port. The firm structure only becomes apparent towards the finish. Wonderful length on the aftertaste, the mouth stained with Port for 60 seconds after. Excellent. 2030 - 2065

95
Neal Martin, vinous.com, June 2020

Warm, soft-edged and generally open, with a core of steeped plum, blackberry preserve and blueberry reduction flavors leading the way, backed by hints of ganache and licorice root on the finish that add a grippier feel. More bass than treble, but well-packed and should age well. Best from 2030 through 2045.

94
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com, January 2021

The 2018 Guimaraens Vintage Port is a field blend that comes in with 98 grams of residual sugar. It was aged in large wooden vats for approximately 18 months. Elegant and aromatic, this is laced with a little eucalyptus up front. It is ultimately a focused Guimaraens that has a graceful demeanor and fine structure. On first taste, though, it was flat and seemed thin overall. Two days later, it fleshed out and demonstrated that it had enough mid-palate depth to match its pure power. It became more complex as well, although it is not exactly the most expressive Port that the house has made. Of the three from the Fladgate Partnership this issue, this is the least expressive today by far. Closed? Or just missing something? At the price, however, it is a very fine value, and the superb structure—it's best feature—gives this a chance to develop in the cellar.

92+
Mark Squires, RobertParker.com (Week 3 Dec), December 2020

Dense, purple to black in colour. A very spicy nose with black damson fruit and an attractive overlay of dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans. Smooth, round, juicy and supple on the palate with a creamy rich texture and ripe, plush tannins. A freshness in acidity and appealing minty flavour add balance and tension. It has a wonderfully long, spicy and enduring finish. This is a versatile Port which will both be approachable relatively young but also has ample concentration to merit longer term cellarage too. Impressive stuff at a very sensible price.

95
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, January 2021

Blackish crimson. High toned and alluring on the nose. Quite a bit of structure and something suggestive of fireworks. This is the business for a vintage port! The sort of wine that would probably have qualified as a full-blooded Fonseca vintage port a few decades ago. Peppery and fiery and yet the tannins are subsumed under the fruit. We’re having steak tonight and I am tempted to drink this with it. 20%. Drink 2030-2050.

17.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, December 2020

The second label for Fonseca, a blend from Quinta do Panascal in the Távora Valley and Fonseca’s estates in the Pinhão Valley. Lovely, ripe expressive dark chocolate concentration on the nose, this really sings from the glass; dense and voluptuous on the palate, super-ripe and plummy with luscious texture backed by firm, gravelly tannins that extend to a broad, gripping finish. Glorious. This will be a keeper.

18.5
Richard Mayson, richardmayson.com, January 2021
Read more tasting notes...

Plentiful and fine, the tannins cradle the fruit and, rising in a spicy, tensile, graphite arc, cloak the finish. The dark, brooding core of blackberry, with hints of blackcurrant/blackcurrant bud fruit, powerfully intense, with terrific juicy persistence. Notes of esteva, liquorice and bitter chocolate bring nuance. Unleashed on day two, the dynamic tannins – fine but firm, very tensile – cut a swathe through the wine, making for a mouth-coating, long, impressive finish with lashings of liquorice. Concentrated, powerful, an excellent vintage for this second Vintage Port – very Fonseca in its bold fruit, structure and complexity.

Sarah Ahmed, The Wine Detective, December 2020
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.