Bottled 2006
This aged tawny is medium-brown in color with traces of red (more brown than mahogany, but still with a reddish hue). After sampling several bottles, the nose is consistently disappointing to me; I detect a hint of almond, but it is very light. On the palette, it is smooth and well-balanced with an initial burst of caramel (and lots of it!), followed by more almond and some dried cherry flavors. Unfortunately, the finish is short. I’m left disappointed by this bottling as my previous tasting notes scored the Fonseca 20 rather high. I’ll decant this and sample it over the next week or two to see if I can coax something special out of the Fonseca. I’ll hold out final judgment until the bottle is empty, but my initial (fresh bottle) scoring is 87-89. If the long finish (as indicated in my previous notes) returns, I can see this rising to a 92.
In case you're curious (since they were never posted here), here are my original notes from February 2007:
I'll report back with my decanting experiment. I'm hoping she opens up as this was previously one of my favorite aged tawnies.A silky smooth 20 year tawny, with strong caramel flavors. This port is subtle and complex. The nose is not exceptionally strong, but the taste is sophisticated and refined -- it is nicely balanced, with just the right amount of tannins and good acidity. The long, nutty finish shows hints of dried cherries and cinnamon. A very nicely-made 20 year tawny...
