Jose Maria da Fonseca Setubal, 1965 Sweet Wine
Setubal (Sweet wine)
Bottle size: 50cl
ABV: 18%
Price:
£195.00
Description
About the Wine
It’s a Moscatel de Setúbal, a traditional Portuguese fortified wine made from Moscatel de Setúbal (Moscatel Graúdo) grapes with fermentation stopped by adding grape spirit, leaving significant residual sugar and around ~18% ABV. The “Superior” designation indicates a higher quality/longer aging style within the DOC.
José Maria da Fonseca is the oldest and most prestigious producer of Moscatel de Setúbal, established in 1834 and with an extensive cellar of historic vintages.
Vintage 1965
Bottlings from the 1960s (including 1965) are quite rare and collectible. Listings from specialist wine merchants reference the 1965 Moscatel de Setúbal Superior (often in 50 cl bottles) with typical fortified wine characteristics and sweet concentration.
The 1965 vintage also features in the famous Trilogia blend from José Maria da Fonseca — a special bottling combining three great vintages from the 20th century (1900, 1934, and 1965), created around 1999 to commemorate the turn of the millennium.
Ageing & Cellaring
Moscatel de Setúbal is known for exceptional longevity: the fortified style and higher alcohol help preserve sweetness and aromatic intensity for decades. Older bottles (even 60+ years old) can still be enjoyable if stored well.
Collector and tasting sites indicate that older Setúbal Moscatels develop complex notes of dried fruits, honey, orange peel, nuts and caramel over time — similar to other aged fortified wines.
Ratings / Reputation
Reliable wide-release professional ratings specifically for the 1965 Superior are not readily available in major critics’ databases. However:
Other older José Maria da Fonseca Moscatel de Setúbal Superiors have scored extremely highly in critic tastings — e.g. older vintages like 1911 and 1955 have scored in the high-90s in The Wine Advocate.
User and collector ratings sometimes place vintage Setúbals around 9/10 on platforms like Delectable for memorable older examples.
Drinking Considerations
If you have a bottle stored properly (cool, dark, upright), it may still drink beautifully with rich, sweet, complex aromatics — although each bottle’s condition after 60 + years can vary.
Decanting carefully (standing the bottle, pouring gently or decanting to separate any sediment) is recommended before serving.
Condition
excellent
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Jose Maria da Fonseca Setubal, 1966
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Vintage & Background
The 1966 Moscatel de Setúbal Superior is a rare fortified wine from José Maria da Fonseca, …
£195.00