Visiting José Maria da Fonseca
October 2011

José Maria da Fonseca in a clear show of innovative thinking embraced the new media and invited a group of Wine bloggers to share a fraction of its History and lots of their liquid gold!

I was fortunate to be a part of this group, seen by this ageless house as a source of independent opinion, with no attachments to the trade establishment and therefore a valuable tool to communicate directly with the consumer, providing expectedly unbiased views of the wines present in the market.

And here I think we find the key word to understand the rising importance of the blogging movement in general and wine specifically. We are first and foremost wine consumers, we love to drink it, talk about it, analyse it, judge it and ultimately write our impressions, sharing our views with other potential consumers on-line.

We were welcomed by the marketing team, and did a quick tour to refresh our memories and to embrace the experiment as any other tourist would. It has to be said that we get a journey in time impossible in some museums, as this historic estate has been producing wines since 1834, 200 hundred years of History and experience that are transparent in the wide range of wines produced, especially in the long-lasting, majestic, precious and lusciously sweet wines sculpted from the aristocratic Muscat grape, from which the "Torna Viagem" is internationally renowned.

A nearly religious experience comes to life upon entering the antique wine cellars, particularly at “Adega dos Teares”, where the company’s most important assets rest, waiting patiently for their due time to impress and amaze, the lucky few that have the privilege to find this quintessential aged vintages in their glass. And boy were we struck by luck… but that’s a story for later.

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And so immersed in this dreamy state the tasting begins! For these endeavour we where joined by a house oenologist, the head of marketing and latter on by Domingos Soares Franco, the maximum responsible for oenology at José Maria da Fonseca.

Wine line-up started with some mass market brands, positioned at a medium to premium price segment, to remind us of their potential quality, even though they are produced in large quantities to satisfy market demand. And there were some nice surprises to welcome, all very correct wines, with no apparent flaws and lots of drinking appeal:

Quinta de Camarate Dry white 2010
(Regional Setúbal Peninsula)

A blend of Alvarinho (55%) & Verdelho (45%), clean lemon colour, showing a very fresh nose with lemony citrus fruit and some tropical notes, leading to an uncomplicated palate with lively, medium plus acidity, a medium body and length and smooth edges. A wine thought to be consumed young while preserving its freshness and fruity qualities, has nice arguments for grilled fish dishes or some sea food and a very nice price tag of €6,50. (15,5/20)

Quinta de Camarate Sweet white 2010
(Regional Setúbal Peninsula)

Blend is mainly Alvarinho (75%) with Loureiro (25%), to typical Vinho Verde varieties well adapted to Setúbal maritime climate. Although the wine is labelled sweet, it is just a medium sweetness style with 42,5gr/l of residual sugar content, similar to a German kabinett. Lemon-green hue, nose shows riper fruit but also fresh, there is some pear and apricot in play and evident tropical fruit. Again a focused fruity style showing a nice balance between fruit sweetness and acidity with a medium plus length. Drink it as an aperitif with salty nuts or some mild Asian dishes. Price is also €6,50. (15/20)

Quinta de Camarate red 2008
(Regional Setúbal Peninsula)

Blend of Touriga Nacional (48%), Aragonez (21%), Cabernet Sauvignon (17%) and Castelão (14%). An intense nose with violets and blackcurrant, marked mix of black and red fruits flavour, some capsicum and oaky spice in the mid-palate with a medium acidity, tannin, body and alcohol structure. All rounded and ready to drink right away. Price is €6,50. (15,5/20)

Pasmados red 2008
(Regional Setúbal Peninsula)

Blend of Touriga Nacional (53%), Syrah (38%) and Castelão (9%). Bright ruby colour, a tighter less expressive nose, showing some oaky vanilla, black cherry, plum and a hint of violets. A granny, earthy mouth-feel of medium plus robust tannins, a medium plus body, medium acidity and alcohol level. Medium plus length. Needs some time to upon up and define its character, one or two years of cellaring or just grab a juicy steak to soften the tannins an enjoy right away. (15,5/20)

It was time to move on to another level of satisfaction so a folding screen was removed to reveal the next wine flight. This included two trials, first one aimed at judging some differences between two wines that are wrongly confused, a Verdelho 2011, with distinct notes of cashew fruit pulp, slightly smoky, very spicy on the palate with medium plus acidity and medium length, and a Verdejo 2011, very tropical in character, exuberant nose, distinct pineapple juice nose, clearly different. The second one to appreciate the different characteristics imparted to Grand Noir by 3 distinct fermentation vessels - "Talhas" (clay amphorae) traces of dried algae, very earthy with long complex finish; "Lagares" (granite troughs) hints of tomato and other herbaceous notes, earthy and grainy, showing robust tannins with a very dry finish; Stainless Steel, has clearly a more fruit forward character, less tannin and fresher. Than we could taste the super premium reds produced in several Portuguese regions and finally entered the luscious fortified realm.

Domini Plus red 2008
(DOC Douro)

Typical Douro blend composed by Touriga Franca (65%), Tinta Roriz (20%) and Touriga Nacional (15%). Clear, deep ruby colour, nose has medium plus intensity revealing youthful aromas of black fruit like blueberry, mulberry, and a slight leafiness, rich palate, consistent with the nose, full of ripe but racy black fruits and a correct medium acidity to refresh and balance it out. Medium plus body, with high level of ripe tannins just slightly stalky. Showing some young austerity in its medium plus length, defining its healthy ageing potential. (17/20)

FSF red 2007
(Regional Setúbal Peninsula)

Blend of Syrah (44%), Trincadeira (48%) e Tannat (8%). Deep intensity ruby colour, nose dominated by a fresh herbaceous tone mixed with fresh red fruits and minty notes. Palate follows the nose profile with an earthy touch from the high but thinly grained tannins, maintaining the fresh fruit on the background supporting the mid-palate, some oaky notes on the very long length finish, but not at all imposing. This is by far my favourite red of the pack, full of character and interesting edges, complex and persistent shows good ageing potential and lots of gastronomic appeal, would love to have it with a spicy seasoned meat pot roast. (18/20)

Periquita Superyor red 2008
(Regional Setúbal Peninsula)

Mainly Castelão (92.6%) seasoned with Tinta Francisca (2.4%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%). Dark ruby, medium plus intensity hue. Graphite aromas, mingled with black fruits and fresh eucalyptus. Initial attack showing intense black fruit of blackberry, black cherry and than some raspberry. Resolved tannins, oaky flavours, medium plus acidity and medium alcohol and body. A bit thin on the finish, with medium length. (16,5/20)

J de José de Sousa
(Regional Alentejano)

Blend of Grand Noir (52%), Touriga Franca (38%) and Touriga Nacional (10%). Deep, bright intense ruby colour. Spreads pronounced sweet kernal aromas from new cask maturation, coffee, chocolate and hazelnut, some oak vanillin sweet spice, on the back good amount of red and black fruits. Full bodied, supple silky tannins, medium acidity, enough to balance the ensemble. A modern wine, full of voluptuous appeal, impossible not to like. You can drink it now if you like to enjoy an explosion of aromas and flavours but it will mature further to a more integrated and balanced harmonious state (17,5/20)

A sample or the Fortified wines tasted:

DSF Private Collection Moscatel de Setúbal 1998 (fortified with Armagnac) and Moscatel de Setúbal 1999 (fortified with Cognac)
(DOC Moscatel Setúbal)

Both excellent premium muscat wines, medium fortified, full of vibrancy, showing the grapey, slightly honeyed aromas of the variety when only exposed to a limited oxidative period. The 1998 Armagnac shows a more intense aromatic profile, more toasted and caramelised, the 1999 Cognac has more subtle floral aromas and lighter body, a fresher style that I particularly appreciated. These wines are just perfect to keep in your freezer at all times, you can open the bottle and drink it through a long period of time, they will keep freshness for a god while.

Moscatel Roxo 20 years (2009 bottling)
(DOC Moscatel Setúbal)

Made from the special muscat strain "Moscatel Roxo", this blend of wines with an average age of 20 years, is eyes shut, a satisfaction assurance.  Beautiful brown, bright colour with greenish strokes. Intense nose showing toasted aromas, caramel, waxy, raisins, fig, some orange peel and sweet spice like cinnamon and nutmeg. Incredible complex palate with harmonious flavour profile, very high acidity balances the lusciously sweetness and the long length carries the elegant aromas through the aftertaste. (18,5/20)

Lunch was served in a laid back fashion, mingling with the house team. We were welcomed by the massive market success Lancers Rosé, to refresh are palates, lift our spirits and prepare us for the feast.

Once again we had the joyful opportunity to eat a very typical Portuguese recipe know as “Bacalhau à Braz”, here in its more traditional and refined version, originally from a convent in Elvas, called “Bacalhau Dorado” (Golden codfish). It’s a creamy dish of codfish with thinly sliced potato involved with fresh hole eggs, that we just can´t help to cry for more.

Here we could try some more dry table wines, the white Pasmados 2008, a niche product with a hint of deliberate oxidation, which lends him character and complexity. It’s refreshing to have a white outside the tropical fruit style, full of gastronomic arguments, and the red Hexagon 2003, still full of vigour, with rounded ripe tannins, showing no signs of withering off in the near future, a top notch wine.

Desert was served with Bastardinho de Azeitão 30 years, a rarity exclusive from José Maria da Fonseca, that is vinified in the style of a sweet Muscat, but is more on the fresher and lighter style, high in acidity with lots of honey and orange peel.

And in the end came a Nature gift, a beast of power and length that sticks to your palate and just won't leave it for ages, a smooth mouth-coating wine, with a high sugar content balanced with perfect mouthwatering acidity. This wine really stops you off your track, very intense and profound, full of aromatic and flavoursome layers, with iodize notes, raisins, resinous, honeyed, toffee, a hint of caramel,  and that signature slight trace of vinegar that balances all the intense toasted oxidative aromas and roasted nuts. An endless length spreading sweet exotic spices all over our aftertaste, such a smooth thick body that I just want to eat it! I'm talking of Moscatel de Setúbal Superior 1955, a perfect, flawless wine and a real privilege to taste and drink, as there are only 150 bottles available, which will be sold in auction on the 8 of November. A religious experience for any devout practising oenophile.

Here you can read all the details about this unmissable event - Press release (PT) - a magnific opportunity to add some History to your private cellar.

Altogether this was just a perfect day of sharing our passion for wine. José Maria da Fonseca deserve all the compliments in the World, that I will personalize in Sofia and Domingos Soares Franco, but will worthily extent to the whole team that received us in such a professional but relaxed fashion.  More important though, the wines are worth every bit of attention the market can give them, the wide commercial brand has something good to offer at every market segment level, from inexpensive to super premium and hall of fame muscats. This 6th generation, family run business has all it takes to promote our country and its fine wines worldwide.

Thank you José Maria da Fonseca,keep up the fantastic work!

From left to right (blog links): Ricardo Oliveira (Magna Casta), Rui Miguel Massa (Pingas no Copo), Miguel Pereira (Pingamor), João Pedro Carvalho (Copo de 3), Pedro Rafael Barata (Os Vinhos), Carlos Janeiro (Comer, Beber e Lazer), Elias Macovela (O vinho é efémero), Domingos Soares Franco (Head Oenologist JMF), Pedro Solano (E tudo o vinho levou), Francisco Barão da Cunha (Enófilo Militante), Mário Silva (Prazeres Requintados), Enologist, André Peres (Wine & Lifestyle Report), Nuno Goçalves, Nuno Oliviera Garcia (Saca-a-Rolha), Abílio Neto, Sofia Soares Franco (Head of PR JMF), Rui Lourenço Pereira (Art Meets Bachus), JMF team member, Head of JMF marketing