1985 Fonseca Vintage

93 POINTS

Wine Spectator

Very dark and youthful ruby-purple. Very intense aromas of blackberry and black licorice. Full-bodied and lightly sweet, with chewy tannins and a rich licorice, blackberry undertone. Still tight. Drinkable now, but it needs a few more years. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Best after 2010.

93 POINTS

Robert Parker - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Fonseca is one of the great port lodges, producing the most exotic and most complex port. If Fonseca lacks the sheer weight and power of a Taylor, Dow or Warre, or the opulent sweetness and intensity of a Graham, it excels in its magnificently complex, intense bouquet of plummy, cedary, spicy fruit and long, broad, expansive flavors. With its lush, seductive character, one might call it the Pomerol of Vintage ports. When it is young, it often loses out in blind tastings to the heavier, weightier, more tannic wines, but I always find myself upgrading my opinion of Fonseca after it has had 7-10 years of age. The 1985 looks to be one of the top successes of the vintage, yet I believe both the superb 1983 and the otherworldly 1977 are far superior. Dense ruby/purple with the Oriental spice-box aroma, the 1985 is an expansive, sweet, broadly flavored wine with outstanding depth, concentration, and balance. It finishes with a solid lashing of alcohol and tannin.

93 POINTS

Neal Martin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 1985 Fonseca is still youthful in appearance with hardly any ageing on the rim. The nose offers kirsch, sloes and Christmas cake. With time, there are subtle notes of dried fig and dates beginning to emerge and add to the complexity. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully balanced on the supple, rounded entry. It is not quite as complex as the aromatics, with dates and dried fig, the finish mellow and refined. It is very elegant for a Fonseca, weighty but supremely well focused. This is a fabulous Fonseca that is ready to drink now, but will age for another 30 or 40 years. Drink now-2030+.

93 POINTS

Falstaff

Deep crimson, good depth, delicate bright rim. Attractive bouquet of cherry confit, underlaid with raisin and prune. Complex, juicy fruit, soft elegant structure, nuances of dried fig on the finish, nice length, it has charm.

2015 - Decanter World Wine Awards

Open floral aromas with sweet berry, ripe, spicy tannins and a core of expressive plummy fruit. Rich and sweet in the mouth with fiery spirit. Spicy tannins raise in the mouth to give a delicious and long finish. Award: Silver - DWWA 2015