Robert Parker

Release Price: $120
The 2017 Vintage Port, not quite bottled when originally seen, has now been in bottle for a couple of years. It is a field blend (with typical grapes like Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca) aged for approximately 20 months in used French oak. It comes in with 98 grams of residual sugar. This is a great Fonseca, distinctive, with a touch of eucalyptus and plums, but also loaded with delicious fruit. Like its Taylor's siblings, there is also a fine backbone. I'd say it is a step behind the Taylor's duo this year, but not by much. It will age well, to say the least.

Wine Enthusiast

The wine's fine perfumed black plum fruits give a wonderful jammy character while bringing out a fresh edge. These are balanced by the dry core of this beautiful wine with its rich, generous tannins. It will all come together from 2030 in a very fine, integrated wine.

Tastingbook.com

Wine Spectator

Dark and dense, with fig bread, baker's chocolate and tar notes leading off before the core flavors of plum, black currant and blackberry paste finally start to emerge. The wild, spirited finish shows cast iron, licorice snap and roasted alder elements, delivering a decidedly chewy feel. A big, old-school, throwback Port that will age at a glacial pace. Best from 2035 through 2060.

Revista Adega, Melhor Vinho

Sweet fortified red wine made from a blend of traditional Douro red grape varieties, aged for around two years in barrels before bottling. Exuberant on both the nose and palate, it displays ripe, compote-like black fruit followed by floral notes, herbs, cocoa and sweet spices, all supported by firm, sandy-textured tannins and vibrant acidity. The finish is rich, fleshy and deep, with notes of cassis, blackberry, violets, graphite and liquorice. It masterfully combines power, concentration, precision and finesse—the qualities that all great Vintage Ports aspire to possess.

Pekka Nuikki

Vinbladet

Mycket ung och kräver tid i glaset, men är mer än värd att vänta på. Superklassiskt uttryck i genomgående engelsk stil, där renhet, stramhet och mineralitet står i fokus. Djup, ren, sval frukt med mörka, diskreta plommoninslag och efterhand även fin floralitet. Spännande, detaljrik och personlig. Utsökt delikatess och harmoni trots den betydande styrkan. Mycket lyckad. Ett vin för den riktigt långa lagringen. 97

Jamie Goode

For The Love Of Port

It all began with a swirling fragrant note of dried rose petal and other fresh flowers, an essence of spearmint, briar patch blackberry and a spicy green snip of esteva. The medium frame, round, robust and layered velvety mouthfeel, set the stage for incoming sweet waves of ripe blueberry, black cherry, anise and mocha; which almost sounds more like a healthy breakfast shake than a Vintage Port. Assertive dry tannins and juicy, focused acidity led to the overtly persistent finish; possessing a minimum of four or more decades of unlimited upside … think 1970 Fonseca, today! The 2017 Fonseca is forthcoming early on, but requires more time to fully mesh, so be patient. Drink from 2030 to 2065. 675 cases produced. 95+ points

Vinous

Picking began at Quinta do Panascal on September 6, the two other quintas in Pinhão that form the 2017 Fonseca Vintage Port, Cruzeiro and Santo António picked on 10 and 17 September respectively. One of the deepest, most opaque color amongst the new Port alumni, it has one of the most backward, almost recalcitrant noses that demands a lot of aeration. It gradually opens to reveal blackberry, melted tar, thyme, clove and violet aromas that are well defined, if maybe just missing the same breeding as Taylor’s. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. This is fresh and detailed, a slightly more structured Fonseca than expected, quite strict at first with good grip and a lightly spiced, precise finish. Powerful and long on the aftertaste, you can feel this Fonseca 60 seconds after the wine has exited. It deserves 10-15 years in bottle. Excellent, but patience required. The most enigmatic of the 2017 Vintage Ports. Total production is 8,100 cases.

Decanter

Already beautifully integrated, this is showing great purity and poise. It's open and in its first bloom of youth, with lovely aromatic red berry fruit and floral aromas, plus a touch of leafiness. It's soft and fleshy initially, seemingly not as big as its stablemate Taylor's - and not quite so deep in colour - though with dark chocolate concentration and mid-palate firmness. Lovely full, ripe tannins mass in the mouth, well defined, with fresh berry fruit remerging on the broad, expansive finish.

Vivino

(248 bedømmelser, ”Højeste kvalitet for pengene af Vintage Port”, 03-10-2026)