Fonseca Guimaraens 2022 Vintage Port 37.5cl half bottles

Description

Fonseca Guimaraens 2022 Vintage Port presented in 37.5cl half bottles.

Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage Port is made in a year that Fonseca does not declare their main vintage. It is a similar idea to a Single Quinta Vintage Port, but Fonseca Guimaraens is made from grapes sourced from three of Fonseca’s Quintas. In 2022, Taylors Port released a similar style of Port called Taylors Sentinels. Both of these are available at Fareham Wine Cellar.

History of Fonseca Port

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.

Fonseca Guimaraens Port

In the early 1950s, 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, all three of which are A-rated:

• Quinta do Panascal – Taylor’s flagship property acquired in 1978, but 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 kilometer 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.

Fonseca Guimaraens 2022 Vintage Port

Fonseca Guimaraens is a blend of classic Douro grape varieties Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão and Tinta Amarela. The grapes were all foot-trodden in granite lagares.

The 2022 shows characteristic aromatic opulence and voluptuous ripe black fruit character, which are the hallmarks of the Guimaraens vintage style.

Winemaker’s Comments

David Guimaraens, The Fladgate Partnership’s Head Winemaker: “2022 will stand out for being a remarkably dry year with a series of heat waves. However, the effects of the drought were offset by a wet March and by rain in early September, with perfect picking conditions at harvest. It will also be remembered for the year that we were able to reintroduce our foot treading which, due to COVID, had not happened for the previous
two vintages.”