I fetched this bottle after a week of sipping on the Graham’s 30 Year Old, and I feel this actually packs a bigger punch. Plenty of citrus and peach on the nose, but what really stands out is the intense, exotic spiciness - tons of nutmeg and saffron - and classy, old balseiro oak. Very hedonistic palate, with luscious sweetness smoothly transitioning into biting, mouth watering acidity as it finishes with outstanding length. Kopke really are the kings of the tawny game. Can’t wait to open my 1987 once this is done.
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Thanks Tomas, These older Kopke’s are quite available in my market and I have switched over from LBV to these as the prices aren’t bad. I love these on cold winter days.
My market has the 1996.
I can also highly recommend Colheitas from Pocas - one of only two Portuguese owned independent shippers still in existence. Andressen is the other Port house who really specialise in this style.
Their 1997 in particular is quite divine. Prices also very reasonable.
The white ports from Andresen are also especially fine.
Kopke make some awesome wood aged Ports. Top of the heap for sure.
Simon,
I’m not sure what you mean. There are far more than two Portuguese owned producers of Port. (“Shippers” is really an outdated term now).
Love Kopke Colheitas, perhaps even more (gasp!) than their indicated age tawnies. They seem perhaps a bit brighter than tawnies of a similar age.
Sorry, slightly woolly phrasing and thinking on my part. Pocas and Quevedo are both quite rare as they are a) originally Portuguese families (unlike Niepoort, Andresen etc) b) independently owned and not part of a group c) both “ship” port from Vila Nova de Gaia which is why I used that term.
Admittedly there are an increasing number of smaller port wine producers who also fit the independent and Portuguese-owned definition (notably Quinta do Infantado, who pretty much uniquely started bottling and selling their own-branded port in the 1970s) - and of course estates such as Quinta do Vale Meão, Quinta do Vale Dona Maria etc.