3 | Wine | Porto, $50 to $100

"Complex aromas of toffee, roasted nuts, lead pencil, orange peel and caraway seed. Intensely flavored fruit is silky but nicely delineated; offers a fresh flavor of orange peel. Not at all thick, but brisk and vibrant. Finishes clean and long, with hints of smoked nuts and marzipan." Reviewed by Stephen Tanzer.

"The 2003 Fonseca Vintage Port exhibits a nose of profound depth. Its sweet black mass of dark fruit and spice aromas leads to a character of immense depth, richness, and weight. Full-bodied, viscous, and almost impenetrable, this dense, backward port is powerful and exceptionally long in the finish. Possibly the most masculine Fonseca I’ve ever encountered, it coats the taster’s palate with licorice, jammy black fruits, and notes of chocolate that last for over a minute."

"This is always outstanding. Attractive aromas of egg yolks, caramel and light honey. Full-bodied, with a rich palate of honey and butterscotch, with just a hint of nuts. Goes on and on."

"Softly-textured and seductive. ...The complex aromatics of the opaque, black-colored 2003 Dow Vintage Port display chocolate, dried oak, black cherries, blackberries, copious spices, and a myriad flowers. This fresh, backward wine offers a medium to full-bodied, deeply concentrated core of spice-laced dark fruits....it boasts abundant layers of candied Damson plums, blueberries, black cherries, molasses, and hints of chocolate before revealing its firm structure."

"Very impressive. Full, deep color for an older tawny. Brooding aromas of currant fruitiness, nuts, raisins and minerals. Concentrated, unctuous and sweet; slightly aggressive and powerfully structured, but buffered by strong extract. Maintains unusually fresh fruit flavors for an older tawny. Offers weight and solid structure. Long, sweet finish leaves a glyceral impression, and is not at all dried by the brandy." Reviewed by Stephen Tanzer; no score given.

"This is black in color. Sweet berry and plum on the nose, with wet earth, pepper and leaf notes. Minerally. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a solid core of tannins and a dense palate. Long and chewy, with a core of sweet fruit." 92-95 pts.

"A strikingly provocative aromatic display. This firmly-structured, classic, tightly-knit, restrained port exhibits brilliant purity as well as impressive intensity."

"Dense ruby/purple-colored, with an exotic, exuberant perfume of black fruits, flowers, incense, and licorice, this unctuously-textured, full-bodied port is one of the most concentrated of the vintage. Sweet, expansive, and succulent, this large-scaled, but remarkably well-balanced effort is surprisingly forward and accessible (by Fonseca's standards)."