1997 Kopke Colheita Port

[bridgema]

Hi Engineer,

I'm new to this forum - only discovered it today while googling for forums to discuss Port - so forgive me if I don't get the etiquette quite right.

Let me know what you want to know about colheita ports and I'll see if I can answer. One thing I can tell you is that you did not commit infanticide - colheita ports are intended by the wine makers to be drunk soon after bottling. While they will mature in the bottle, the winemaker generally tries to capture the freshness of the wine as it comes out of the barrel after having been matured that way for a minimum of 6 years. One critical thing to look out for when buying a bottle of colheita port is the bottling date. The more recent, the better.

Your description of it tasting like an intense tawny is a good one - that is exactly what it should be like, a step up in quality from a tawny blend.