($80, Kobrand Wine & Spirits): At a Kobrand-sponsored tasting of 2011 vintage Ports, tasters would be asking one another which they preferred, Taylor’s or Fonseca’s. What’s amazing to me is how different and distinctive these two Ports are, despite being owned by the same family run company (The Fladgate Partnership, where David Guimaraens is wine director for both houses). Fonseca’s 2011 Vintage Port is as sensational as Taylor’s, albeit in an entirely different style. More opulent and overt at this stage, it comes across as a more exotic wine with a perfect marriage of sweetness and spice. It, too, is surprisingly approachable, but similar to Taylor Fladgate’s, plan on cellaring it for several decades to see its true glory. Which is better? Try choosing between your children. Better to buy them both.
98 Michael Apstein Jul 2, 2013