NV Casa de Santa Eufemia Special Reserve White Port

[Glenn E.]

I found two bottles of this at a wine store in the Chelsea Market in NYC. I was so surprised to see it stateside that I had to call Roy to make sure I wasn't mis-remembering what it was. Sure enough, it's the infamous unlabeled 1973 Colheita, so I bought both bottles. I took one to a tasting the next night to provide some contrast for the 5 older vintages of Sandeman VP.

Casa de Santa Eufemia Special Reserve White Port
Bottling date unknown - it isn't stated on the label.

Color: Dark golden honey, though not as dark as the '52 Dalva Golden White Colheita. A hint of orange, though that may have been the poor restaurant lighting.
Nose: A bit hot and aggressive. Some honey-like notes, but mostly oak.
Palate: Much sharper than expected, also much thinner than expected. Under-roasted almonds. Some vanilla, some honey. Slightly tangy like toasted dried apricots. Almost rough in the mouth, not smooth or creamy.
Finish: Heat that fades quickly, some spices, some oak, some general sweetness... then gone. Dinner probably interfering with the finish.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this bottle was flawed, probably heat damaged in some way. I've had a few white Colheitas, and none of them have ever been this hot or rough before. I wasn't expecting this to be anywhere near as good as the '52 Dalva, but I was expecting it to be comparable to the '64 Krohn and it wasn't even close. Not rated.

[Peter W. Meek]

Re: variable restaurant lighting.
I always carry a very white (almost blue-white) LED penlight. It gives me a "normal" standard to light wines and ports with.