Fonseca Guimaraens 1967 Vintage Port 75cl

Description

Fonseca Guimaraens 1967 Vintage Port – this is a very rare bottle of Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port from the 1967 vintage.

Bottled in Oporto in 1970 for Mentzendorff & Co (who remain Fonseca’s UK agents to this day). Please study the images carefully. The level is just into the neck. There is some damage to the front label.

About The 1967 Vintage

The 1967 Port vintage was a minor vintage declaration. It was overshadowed somewhat by the 1966 vintage which was widely declared. Some prominent houses preferred 1967 over their 1966s (e.g., Cockburn and Martinez). Others declared both years (Quinta do Noval and Sandeman), while many major houses skipped 1967 entirely or focused on single-quinta bottlings, like this Guimaraens.

Fonseca Guimaraens 1967 Vintage Port

In the early 1950’s, the rising demand for vintage ports led Fonseca to create a second vintage port under the “Fonseca Guimaraens” label in non-classic, or undeclared years. The grapes for Fonseca Guimaraens Port are sourced from Fonseca’s three Quintas, which cover some 170 acres.

Fonseca Quintas

• Quinta do Panascal – Fonseca’s flagship property, acquired in 1978, has been supplying grapes to Fonseca for many decades. It is situated on the steep right bank of the Távora, in the parish of Valença do Douro. It was one of the very first vineyards in the Douro to practise organic viticulture.
• Quinta de Santo António – occupies an open west-facing slope, leading down to the Pinhão River about a kilometre north of Quinta do Cruzeiro.
• Quinta do Cruzeiro – situated near the village of Vale de Mendiz, on the eastern bank of the river Pinhão. Acquired in 1973, it had been supplying grapes to Fonseca since the 1870s.

All three properties are A-rated and were purchased by the firm in the 1970s. The former two had been under contract to Fonseca in the early 1900s.

Fonseca Guimaraens Winemaking

• Hand-picked grapes are sourced from Fonseca’s own Quintas in the Cima Corgo sub-region.
• The blend includes classic Port varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cão, and Tinta Barroca.
• Destemmed grapes are placed in traditional granite lagares at Quinta do Cruzeiro and Quinta do Panascal.
• Gentle extraction is achieved through traditional foot-treading.
• Fermentation begins with natural (native) yeasts.
• Fermentation is stopped (“fortified”) by adding grape spirit to preserve sweetness and reach around 20% ABV.
• The young Port matures briefly in the Douro Valley before being transferred to the lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia for extended ageing.
• The wine is matured in large wooden vats or oak casks, expertly blended, and bottled unfiltered after 18 – 24 months to continue developing in the bottle.

Fonseca: Since 1822

The Fonseca Port House was established in 1822 when Manoel Pedro Gonçalves Guimaraens and his brother João Gonçalves Salgueiro acquired control of the Fonseca and Monteiro Company from the Fonseca Family. The Fonseca family insisted that their name was retained as part of the sale, and the company was renamed Fonseca, Guimaraens & Co.

By the 20th century, Fonseca had risen to prominence, producing iconic Vintage Ports like 1900, 1927, and 1948. In 1948, it was acquired by Taylor Fladgate & Yeatman, boosting its global presence while retaining its distinct, fruit-driven style. David Guimaraens, the great-great-great-grandson of the founder Manuel Pedro, has been the head winemaker since 1994. He is also the master blender for the other Taylor Fladgate Port Houses: Taylors, Croft and Delaforce.