It’s no secret that Kopke belongs to the absolute driving force when we talk tawny types. Their colheitas always exhibit elevated balance, have no intrusive sweetness and are always very complex with a perfectly balanced acidity.
53 years ago, this wine was trodden in granite warehouses and after vinification was transported to and placed on large barrels in Vila Nova de Gaia. Since then, this colheita has been on wooden barrels and has only been bottled and released for sale in 2019.
Such a rarity will always be a costly affair, but if you have to throw a large sum of money after a wine, this is not the worst place to throw it away.
Kopke Colheita 1966 is from an absolutely excellent vintage, which in the wine is translated into an exceptionally healthy and intense wine. The classic storage aromas of deep nut tones, pickled lemon and orange peel, smoke, raisins and molasses give a wine that is complex but also easy-drinking at the same time. The free acid gives both a ‘boost’ to the sweetness and a glorious freshness – not meant as youthful fruit acid, but instead the clearly age-related acetic acid, which in the right amount gives an incomparable elasticity.
The wine has been tapped for drinking and will thus not get better with further storage, but will still keep its shape in the bottle for several years.
We think it is a shame to use the wine as a food wine, as it is difficult to see which dishes or cheeses should make the wine better. Instead, enjoy this wine without any accessories other than good company, with the right reverence and served at 15-18 °.
98 points Decanter
“Profound”
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 96 points
Wine Enthusiast 95 points
