Porto Kopke Tasting Notes

In 1638 the German diplomat Cristiano Kopke founded the Douro wine shipping company that became universally recognized as the first Port house in Port wine history. In 2008 Porto Kopke will celebrate 370 years of continuous production of fine porto with grapes from its famous Quinta São Luiz with its many gold-medal winning vintages. However, it wasn’t until 1675 that a shipment from the Douro to Holland was first called “Porto” and in 1678 that the Oporto customs office registered its first shipment of Porto to England.

The hand stenciled Kopke Port bottles express the traditional quality and nostalgic appeal long associated with the enjoyment of the finest ports.

White, Tawny & Ruby Port

• Porto Kopke Dry White Port - Rivals the best Fino Sherry as an aperitif or even dry dessert port but with long shelf life. Drinks like a spicy wine with rich, nutty character. Also wonderful as “Portonic”, poured over the rocks with a splash of tonic and squeeze of lime.

• Porto Kopke Lágrima White Port – So loved by the Portuguese as to be called “The Tears of Christ”, this wonderful, medium-sweet style has just begun to make an impact on the American palate. One taste and you’re hooked on its sweet citrus and lemon verbena finish balance by good acidity like an expensive sauternes. Oak-aged for 5 years, the wine is produced from a variety of white grapes, including Malvasia Fina. Serve slightly chilled as an aperitif with hot-spicy starters or with fruit salads and desserts.

• Porto Kopke Fine Tawny Port - A true tawny, aged in casks to achieve a balance of still vibrant red fruit flavors enhanced by mellow dried fruits and nuts from ageing.

• Porto Kopke Fine Ruby Port - Bright plum and cherry fruit in a fresh, young ruby Port, a real crowd pleaser. Gold Medal, International Wine Competition, Ottawa, October 2003

• Porto Kopke Special Reserve (Vintage Character) - Smooth drinking, full-bodied, filtered red port with ripe fruit flavors blended from several vintages.

• Porto Kopke 2000/2001 Late Bottle Vintage – Well balanced and smooth single vintage with 4-6 years cask ageing, but still showing bright fruit. 1992 LBV was a Silver Medal winner at the International Wine and Spirits Competition.

TAWNY PORTS

Kopke is a leader of the market of Colheita wines, in volume, having exceeded 25% of the Global Share in this type of quality Port wine, matured in wood. Kopke commands the leading tawny Port market position in the Netherlands and other countries. Aged in wood casks until they are completely mature, Tawny ports are a golden color with multi-dimensional layers of aromas and flavors.The domination of Vintage Ports in past years is now challenged by the advantages of the tawnies, especially vintage colheita tawnies for restaurants and retail consumers. Where vintage ports have immediate air shock upon opening the bottle wherein they were aged and have a shelf life of only a few hours to a week; tawny ports have had air working on them through the cask during all the years of aging, giving them a open-life of a month or longer. Lighter and more delicate than vintage ports, the tawnies are immediately understandable and enjoyable to the novice port drinker and an ongoing pleasure to the experienced.

TAWNY PORTS WITH AN INDICATION OF AGE

Porto Kopke 10 Year Old Tawny - So well developed that it has the quality of most 20 Year Olds. With five more years of development than most 10 year olds, Kopke would qualify as a 15 Year old if it existed. Honey colored, with deep ambrosial flavors and mouth-filling richness.

Porto Kopke 20 Year Old Tawny - Elegant, rich and nutty with flavors that go on forever. A creamy smooth blend of 15 to 35 year old tawnies showing deep caramel and dried fig flavor and well-developed color. “Kopke draws on good stocks of (its own) aged tawnies. This wine certainly tastes all of 20 years, with its richness and dryness finely in balance, and with lemon jelly and intense ripe fruits shining through.” 92 pts. Wine Enthusiast – Aug 2006.

Porto Kopke 30 Year Old Tawny - Perhaps the finest 30 year old we ever tasted — layers of caramel, penuche and butterscotch– an extremely refined blend.  “Soft,rich but not unctuous. Lovely balance of dried apricots & nutty complexity. Good poise with an attractive nose, great age and perfect balance.” Decanter, only 5-Star 30.

Porto Kopke 40 Year Old Tawny - Youthful vigor over-laying complex, mature flavors. “Great finesse here, rich depths & integration still vital.  All flavouring from red fruit to green olives. The nose shows hints of green tea. Firm, sweet raisins & spice.”  Decanter, one of only two 5-Star 40s.  Silver Medal, San Francisco International Wine Competition

TAWNY PORTS OF A SINGLE VINTAGE – COLHEITA (Col-Yea-Tah)

• Porto Kopke 1998 Colheita – Garnet color, with a bright nose of pomegranate, strawberries and cherries. Cherry-vanilla flovor that lingers in the finish.A 10th ANNIVERSARY PORT for 2008.

• Porto Kopke 1997 Colheita – Cherry color with a suede, rose-caramel nose. A tantalizing combination of youthful fruit flavors — sweet, ripe plum and a hint of marshmallow finishing with caramel undertones.

• Porto Kopke 1991 Colheita – Lively and delightful flavors of cherries jubilee, burnt sugar, vanilla and almonds resulting in a long, nutty finish.

• Porto Kopke 1988 Colheita – Coming up to 20 years in 2008, this appealing tawny delivers a rich mouthful of deep caramel backed flavors of ripe cherries, hazelnut, sweet fruit tea and orange zest that leads to an enduring and memorable finish.A 20th ANNIVERSARY TAWNY for 2008.

• Porto Kopke 1987 Colheita – Aromatic nose of toasted cashews and caramel carries through in the vivid flavors of highly developed flamed sugar and toffee which lingers in the long, elegant finish. 

• Porto Kopke 1986 Colheita – A fragrant bouquet of almond biscotti is followed by rich flavors of dried fruit, orange zest, and butterscotch. The long nutty caramel aftertaste is distinct and memorable.

• Porto Kopke 1981 Colheita – Dark coral tawny color, spicy carnation nose with flavors of violets, old roses, citrus and macaroons with a lingering finish of dried lavender and clean linen.

• Porto Kopke 1980 Colheita - An almond nose leads to hazelnut flavors with an undertone of anise and orange zest. Long toast and cashew finish lingers hauntingly. Gold Medal Concourse Mondial, Bruxeles.

• Porto Kopke 1978 Colheita- Expansive aromatics of coffee and toffee are followed by a voluptuous body of medium sweet dried fruit, balanced by citrus which give the long, tangy finish. A 30th ANNIVERSARY PORT for 2008.

• Porto Kopke 1977 Colheita- A delectable, penuche tinged aroma of butterscotch and nutmeg; flavors of Florentine almond cookies with nuances of butter toasted cashews. The long finish is pleasantly dry.

• Porto Kopke 1976 Colheita – Think of chewing nutty, butterscotch cookies dipped into orange marmalade, but with aromatics that satiate your senses along with Kopke’s nutty/caramel finish.

• Porto Kopke 1974 Colheita - Kopke’s deep caramel signature, honey and almond flavors with a hint of smoke leading to a memorable finish.

• Porto Kopke 1968 Colheita - A drier style tawny that could be served as either an aperitif or a dessert Port. A 40th ANNIVERSARY PORT for 2008

• Porto Kopke 1967 Colheita - Rich caramel aromatics lead into a wonderful blend of dried fig, apricot and citrus flavors enriched by cashews and almonds, ending in a memorable finish.

• Porto Kopke 1966 Colheita – From the outstanding 5-Star 1966 vintage port declaration that often surpasses the renowned 1963 in whose shadow it was born. Richly integrated flavors of burnt sugar, hazelnuts and orange zest followed by a lingering caramel finish.

• Porto Kopke 1965 Colheita - Aromatics of marzipan, honey and roasted nuts with a smooth soft finish that glides down your palate. Perfect balance of acidity.

• Porto Kopke 1964 Colheita – Elegantly developed layers of dried fruits and nuts with a caramel “topping”.

• Porto Kopke 1960 Colheita - Like spreading your palate with fine Marmalade — Seville oranges soaked in honey.

• Porto Kopke 1958 Colheita – December 2007 bottling has a seductive pecan color with a bing cherry nose that draws you into the decadent dried fruit flavors with an enduring finish of bright lemon zest, cashews and licorice. An exceptional tawny for CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN 2008.

• Porto Kopke 1957 Colheita – 2006/7 bottlings have the deep color, aromatics & vivacity of the legendary 1900. Great Gold Medal, II Concurso Internacional da Cidade do Porto. 97 Pts -Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port.com

• Porto Kopke 1952 Colheita - Celebrate 50 years in 2002 with this rich, elegant porto. Great Gold Medal, III Concurso Internacional da Cidade do Porto

• Porto Kopke 1950 Colheita – “Mouth filling and plentiful, this wine has wonderful flavors of marzipan and roasted chestnuts. Kopke’s Colheitas are all about smooth texture and incredible length on the finish and in this way, the 1950 delivered the goods” Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port.com

• Porto Kopke 1947 Colheita - One of the best forties’ vintages for colheitas next to the legendary 1945. Deep color, rich with bright fruit and nutty flavors, fat and luscious.

• Porto Kopke 1940 Colheita - “An outstanding example of how well Colheitas can age, and more importantly…the care that Kopke puts into these wines. The only thing light about this 1940 was its light amber tinge. Complex and powerful, with brown sugar, toasty sweet hazelnuts and a slight Sherry like note — a superlative lingering finish.” 94 pts. Roy Hersh, Wine Lovers’ Page.com

• Porto Kopke 1938 Colheita - “Caramel in color with a yellowish-green rim, this is what great Colheitas are all about. Dark brown sugar, marmalade and a swirling Sherry essence that I often note in Kopke Colheitas, kept my nose in the glass. A rich and voluptuous mouthfeel. This Kopke is in possession of an exquisite, seamlessly seductive, if not decadent finish.” 96 pts. Wine Lovers Page.com. Still vibrant with decadent aromatics, deep olive-tawny color, and caramel offset by orange zest and hazelnut flavors. Great Gold Medal, III Concurso Internacional da Cidade do Porto - Silver Medal, San Francisco Interntational Wine Competition. CELEBRATING 70 YEARS IN 2007.

• Porto Kopke 1937 Colheita - One of the most aromatic ports — filling the room with its vibrant aroma immediately on opening. An exceptionally rich Colheita with lingering hazelnut and smoky caramel flavors.

VINTAGE PORTS

No wonder that these vintage ports rank among the top releases, since grapes are harvested from very old vines of up to 100 years yielding small amounts of very intense fruit from Kopke’s famous Font Santa vineyard at Quinta São Luiz with its many gold-medal winning vintages. Quinta manager and viticulturist José Manuel Manso is shown with one of the ancient Touriga Nacional vines.

• Porto Kopke 1985 Vintage Port – “Well-focused cherry, nutmeg and exotic spice aromas and flavors carry through to the long, finely balanced finish, offering the right hint of toast and spirits. A wine with elegance and grip that should age nicely through at least 2015. - 90 pts.” The Wine Spectator, Gold Medal, Wine Masters Challenge, Lisbon.

• Porto Kopke 1987 Quinta São Luiz Vintage Port – Brilliant maroon color with a leathery nose and finish. Flavors of kiwis, cranberries and sweet cherry-plums. Aging well with good structure and balance — soft tannins. CELEBRATING 20 YEARS IN 2007. Gold Medal, III Concurso Internacional da Cidade do Porto.

• Porto Kopke 1996 Quinta São Luiz Vintage Port - “A very grapey young port with lots of jam and chocolate character. . .big, soft tannins and a fruity finish.” 89 pts. James Suckling, The Wine Spectator. From the famous Quinta São Luiz that won gold medals in 1985, ‘91 & ‘94, a delicious full-bodied port with deep color, flavor of ripe black cherries and plums with a hint of chocolate. Tinta Barroca and Touriga Nacional grapes.

• Porto Kopke 1997 Vintage Port - “Shows good concentration with crushed berry and cherry aromas. Full bodied and medium sweet with chewy tannins and a long, fruity finish.” 89 pts. James Suckling, The Wine Spectator. A great representation of the fabulous 1997 vintage! Deep purple color, distinct black cherry nose, flavor and aftertaste. Concentrated, rich fruit in a full-bodied port with just the right balance of sweetness and tannins.

• Porto Kopke 2000 Vintage - The Kopke 2000’s depth and complexity assures a long future in a port that will continue to round out over the next 10-15 years. Dense ripe fruit and spices with dark plum and black cherry. “A dark, ruby/purple color is followed by an evolved bouquet of chocolate, earth and black fruits. The wine possesses medium body, lovely sweetness, some tannin, and a mid-weight style. Anticipated maturity 2005-2016.” 89 points The Wine Advocate, Parker  “Inky purplish-black and fully opaque color. Concentrated plums, ripe cherry berry and sweet prunes on the nose. Medium-bodied with honest flavors of plum and well endowed, dense, extremely sweet blackberry fruit. Built for mid-term aging with gentle tannins that show up on the slightly raisiny finish that is long and lip smacking. A stylish, crowd pleasing Kopke. 90-92 points Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port.com

• Porto Kopke 2003 Vintage Port - Massive black fruit and chewy tannins that will develop into an outstanding example of this vintage after some aging. “Big, grapey and chewy, with a medium body and firm tannins. Medium finish. Lightly sweet….” – 88 Points by James Suckling, The Wine Spectator “Dark ruby with a purple edge and a bouquet of violets, crushed flower petals and spice. The palate offers thick juicy boysenberry and plum with a spicy undercurrent of cinnamon and some spirituous character that shows up right before the tannins sneak up on the sweet finish. 2,050 cases produced.” 91 Points – Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port.com

• Porto Kopke 2004 Quinta São Luiz Vintage Port - Kopke leads the way in the new focus on a more accessible “SENSATIONAL” style port that can be enjoyed relatively young while still showing big, robust fruit flavors. For the chocolate lover, the intense, spicy blackberry nose and flavor of the Kopke 2004 is like feasting on warm, molten chocolate filled cake with a heavenly fruit sauce. The burst of fruit in the mouth-filling palate carries through soft tannins balanced by good structure to a lingering dark berry finish. “Scents of rose petals, spice and anise make for a sumptuous bouquet. A softer, richer style possessing medium body and smooth texture. For such a youthful wine, it’s hard to believe this was just bottled. Sweet, berry and licorice flavors that are full throttle with excellent balance and a very enjoyable finishwith virtually no sign of tannins. Drink tomorrow or in 15 years; an impressive effort by Kopke.” 91-93 Points - Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port.com

• Porto Kopke 2005 Vintage Port – “A truly harmonious VP and the best young Kopke VP I’ve ever tasted.,” Roy Hersh. “Dark opaque purple consisting of 50% Touriga Nacional and 50% old vine field blends (average of 40 years) from the Douro Superior. Fine acidity, very long finish, good balance with rounded tannins that arrive in time for the aftertaste.” Drink 2008-2030 93-95 Points - Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port.com