80 Years Old Tawny Port is a new release for 2025 and a major extension of the “age-indicated tawny” category.
Until now, a 50 Year Old has been the oldest possible within this style (since 2022).
Kopke is one of the key players in the tawny category and, almost uniquely, they have their own stock of maturing wines in Vila Nova de Gaia, which allows them to assemble such a wine. With this 80 Year Old tawny they have created the ultimate age-indicated tawny – complete with a suitably unapologetic price tag. The fact that it is produced solely from casks containing their own wines means they can combine a previously unseen age profile with the house style Kopke is known for. Only a few port houses are able to achieve this; most have to go out on the open market and buy very old wines to reach the required average age, which inevitably comes at the cost of typicity for that particular producer.
Kopke 80 Years Old Tawny is a blend of many vintages – the oldest from the late 1800s, the youngest from the 1940s. These “museum wines” did not make themselves. They have been cared for by successive cellar masters over several human generations, and evaporation has left only a fraction of the original volume in the casks.
The result offers both wild intensity and great complexity, making it a true meditation wine from the very top shelf. When wines are as old as this, they develop a pronounced note of what is known in port circles as “vinagrinho”: a high-toned acidity which, at heart, is the most pleasant form of acetic acidity you can imagine. When the proportions are right, this acidity creates a wonderful interplay between the wine’s intensity and its sweetness, in much the same way as with a true, old balsamic vinegar. This is tawny perfection, with hypnotic aromas of walnuts, sugar-poached prunes, apricot, Christmas spice, wood-derived notes, muscovado sugar and classic rancio and oxidative character. The acidity keeps both nose and palate lifted and gracefully hides a very substantial level of residual sugar. The finish is endless.
Enjoy with reverence, ideally without food, but in good, calm company.
We recommend a serving temperature of 13–17 °C and a generous white-wine glass, so that the aromas can truly unfold.
The wine will stay fresh for several weeks after opening, especially if stored in the refrigerator.
100 points – Revista de Vinhos
