2008 Kopke - Colheita Tawny HALF BOTTLE (375ml)

Kopke remains the oldest Port house still trading today, tracing its founding back to 1638 under the German merchant Nicolau Kopke and his son Cristiano. While many shippers focus on vintage-declared Ports, Kopke has built an unusually deep archive of colheitas, single-harvest tawnies released only after years of patient cask aging, with vintages stretching back well over a century still occasionally coming to market.

This 2008 release is made from red Douro varieties, principally Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Roriz, fermented and later fortified with grape spirit in the traditional method. As a colheita, the wine then rested in oak for well beyond the seven-year legal minimum, drawing out color and character slowly through years of gentle oxidation before being bottled according to demand rather than on a fixed release schedule.

The wine shows a golden brown color with hints of auburn, opening with aromas of dried fruit and ripe cherry jam that give way with air to nuts, cinnamon, and coffee. On the palate, notes of fig, apricot, almond, and hazelnut carry through a long, appealing finish. Pair with a hazelnut biscotti or a moderately aged cheese.