Kopke Colheita Port 1978
€ 133.00
Every wine tells a story. Kopke’s Colheitas, however, tell a unique story. To taste a wine is to taste history and, in the case of this 1978 Colheita, it means remembering a remarkable event like the great fire that devastated the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, destroying nearly the entire collection, including works by Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst and René Magritte.
It is very graceful for its age, finishing with a wave of sweetness, fruit and sugar. Emphasizing the caramel more than the molasses, this is irresistibly delicious, but it becomes more complex and puts on weight as it airs and warms. The wine shows off its power and hints of Brandy on the rather tense finish, too. Overall, this is a beauty that becomes more impressive the longer you sit with it. Then, you realize that its balance is simply perfect, yet it stands out in most every category. This is very fine and the price is pretty nice for the age and the quality.
Colheitas are seen as very high-quality Tawnies. Comes from a single harvest and has spent at least 7 years in French oak barrels of about 550 liters. Colheita port wine represents less than 1% of the total annual production of postage. Like Vintage, a Colheita port is only released when the best conditions are met and after approval of the IDVP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto)
Food pairing
Delicious with slightly sweetened desserts such as crème brûlée, dried fruits and as an aperitif
. Great with a handful of nuts, caramel pecan pie, milk chocolate or old Dutch cheese
Grapes: Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, Touriga Franca
Hand-picked at their optimum point, the grapes are destemmed, crushed and vinified using a process based on careful maceration to extract color, tannins and aromas from the skins, complemented by constant pumping over during fermentation. This takes place in mills, at a controlled temperature between 28-30ºC, until the desired Baumé degree is reached. At this stage, wine brandy (benefit) is added, creating a fortified wine. High quality wine from a single harvest. It ages in wood for varying periods of time, never less than 7 years, and is then bottled according to market demands.
Alcoholcontent
20%
Store & Serve
Like all tawny port, colheita is best when it is chilled like a white Burgundy (14 ° C) and served in small white wine glasses (Riedel Vinum Riesling for example).
Remains enjoyable up to a few months (4 to 6 months) after opening, provided you always close the bottle with the original stopper and store it at a constant temperature of about 12 degrees.
Critics & Awards
93/100 - Decanter World Wine Awards Tasted: Jan 2021
95/100 - Jamie Goode
95/100 - Wine & Spirits Magazine Tasted: Dec 2018
94/100 Mark Squires, eRobertParker.com 23 March 2016
94/100 - Wine Enthusiast Tasted: Jan 2016
Not one of the generally declared vintages for Port, this year produced some ripe, sweet single quinta vintages. It also was a good year for rich, sweet tawnies. This is ripe, toffee-like in character packed with ripe raisin and sultana flavors. It is a luxurious wine, of course ready to drink.
Producer: Kopke
Region: Douro