Fonseca 20 Yr Old Setubal Alambre 500ml

The NV Alambre 20 Years Old Moscatel de Setúbal is Fonseca's fortified blend of vintages—in this case, it's 1996, 1984, 1979, 1978, 1965 and 1911 (only a trace but "enough to give it some acidity and concentration," said winemaker Domingos Soares Franco). It comes in with 169 grams of residual sugar and a long cork. It was bottled in 2018, which date is on the back label. This is a different animal compared to the more restrained 10 Year. This adds lushness, flavor and sugar. It's complex, but it is not as brandy-dominated anymore, seeming brighter and livelier while also being more concentrated. The long finish is textured with velvet and endless peach-to-apricot flavors. This is certainly not the best wine of the group, but it's the best balanced, fresh and the best relationship between value and quality. That said, it sure doesn't have that unctuous texture of the more concentrated 30 and 40 Year wines—that's why you'd trade up.

Score: 93 points -- Mark Squires, The Wine Advocate, 2019