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+.

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.

Deep garnet colour. Leathery ripeness dominates the nose, which is smoky and lightly gamey. The fruit still has excellent presence on both nose and palate, but the spice-box notes now overtake the fresher fruit tones. The sweetness is perfectly measured, rounding the edges and softening the tannins. More leather, clove and nutmeg linger on a very long finish. Ready, but with a long life ahead. (TP)

Still dark crimson. Just a little spirity on the nose but wonderfully opulent and sweet on the palate with the tannins still making their presence felt. Pretty dry on the end now. I would choose the Fonseca Guimaraens 1998 as offering better value for current drinking. Amazingly, this still needs a bit of time, I think! (JR)