Krohn 1968 Colheita

[Houston Porter]

Is it odd that my bottle of Krohn 1968 Colheita (bottled in 2008) came with a standard cork (no printing, and not a stopper cork.) I have never opened a Colheita that had anything but a stopper.
At first, I suspected foul play, but this port was incredible and definitely on par, if not better, than similarly aged Colheita's and Colheita's from around the same year.

[Andy Velebil]

It's quite normal for Krohn's (pre-sale to TFP) to have unbranded corks. No idea why they didn't have them branded except perhaps to save a little money.


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[Glenn E.]

Very common. All of my 1968 Krohns have been exactly like that. (I've opened ~6?)

I've found that, in general, driven corks in Colheitas are much less likely to have branding than driven corks in VP.

[Eric Menchen]

Well, all VP for a given year is usually going to be bottled all at once. Colheita? Well those can be bottled in very small batches. Certainly you could put your name on the cork, but putting a year would get to be a bit of logistical hassle.

[Houston Porter]

Well, all VP for a given year is usually going to be bottled all at once. Colheita? Well those can be bottled in very small batches. Certainly you could put your name on the cork, but putting a year would get to be a bit of logistical hassle.

That makes sense as I've got three bottles of Smith Woodhouse from the same year that are all bottled in different years.

But is it unusual for a Colheita to cork instead of a stopper? I've never seen this before, albeit I haven't opened a ton of Colheita's (yet.)

[Houston Porter]

It's quite normal for Krohn's (pre-sale to TFP) to have unbranded corks. No idea why they didn't have them branded except perhaps to save a little money.

What is "TFP"?

[Houston Porter]

Very common. All of my 1968 Krohns have been exactly like that. (I've opened ~6?)

I've found that, in general, driven corks in Colheitas are much less likely to have branding than driven corks in VP.

Oh wow, so you're familiar with this one. That's great! ...but now I'm going to ask to pick your brain because this is getting pretty close to my holy grail.

My best friend and I absolutely love Graham's 1969 Colheita, but have had a heck of a time getting it here in the U.S. We remember it fondly, but also were having a great meal with a lot of other great ports, so want to try it again just to make sure it is what we remember...but also cringe at spending that kind of money if we're not sure. (The saving grace is that we tried some incredible ports that evening and this one stood out, so that's a good sign we weren't just drunk-loving it.)

So, I got this 1968 Krohn so we could taste it and see what we thought. Well, we loved it and think it's likely the best tawny we've tasted so far, although, of course, without having the Graham's 1969 on hand, we can't be sure. This did kind of surprise us because it spent 40 years in the barrel. Of course we love 40 years old tawnies, but in general, do not think they are worth the premium we have to pay over the 30's from the same port lodge. (We haven't tried a ton, but so far have tasted about ten 40's vs. 30's from the same lodge and haven't found any to be so spectacular that we would choose it over the 30, given the price difference.) However, this 1968 was phenomenal, which makes me giddy, because 1) I have two more bottles (I bought it as an auction lot) and 2) it's pretty affordable (at least at auction - roughly $170 per bottle after fees/shipping/etc.)

Alrighty, so here are my questions, if you don't mind.
1) Have you had other Colheita's in this age/price range that you think top this one? (I feel like I'm so close to finding my perfect tawny and once I do, want to stock up.)
2) 6 bottles so far? Is it that good, or did you come across a great deal at one point so had the bottles on-hand?
3) Have you had the Graham's 1969 and if so, how do you think this compares?

Thanks for all your help!
Houston

[Eric Menchen]

What is "TFP"?

Taylor Fladgate Partnership.

Like you, I find 30 year old tawnies to be at a good QPR spot, sometimes 20s as well. 40s are wonderful, but the price not so much.

I don't have a favorite colheita. One time it was the 1952 Burmester, then there was a great 1941, oh but on a later occasion the 1965 stood out ... I might buy a few bottles of a good one if I found them at the right price, but given that these generally aren't meant to be aged in the bottle for a long time (Dirk Niepoort and Glenn will disagree with this), I'm not going to run out an buy a case or two of any of them, as I have done for a few VPs. That's just me.

[Andy Velebil]

It's actually The Fladgate Partnership (no Taylors in it).


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[Glenn E.]

[quote="Houston PorterAlrighty, so here are my questions, if you don't mind.
1) Have you had other Colheita's in this age/price range that you think top this one? (I feel like I'm so close to finding my perfect tawny and once I do, want to stock up.)
2) 6 bottles so far? Is it that good, or did you come across a great deal at one point so had the bottles on-hand?
3) Have you had the Graham's 1969 and if so, how do you think this compares?[/quote]
I'm glad you're having fun exploring! I've also undergone "the Quest" before, though in my case I got lost and eventually forgot what I was looking for anyway because I found so much other good stuff.

1. Yes, though the answer is more difficult than you might think. For one, I have no idea what 1968 Krohn normally costs, which you'll find out about in my next answer. But to list a few Ports, Noval and Quevedo both have 1968s that I like better. And the 1966 Kopke is perhaps the benchmark Colheita for the entire decade, though it is admittedly a much different style than the Krohn. 1966 Krohn is also outstanding.

2. There was a deal. I'm guessing that you have probably read about the issues with Premier Cru here on FTLOP, right? Well... when they were collapsing, but not yet gone, they were frantically trying to raise money to purchase wine to supply into their pyramid scheme. I'm not sure where it came from originally (Andy might know), but they had a LOT of Krohn on hand and were selling it at fire sale prices. This 1968 Krohn was one of the fire sales, as were the 1976, 1964 White, and 30 year old. As I recall I paid the most for the 1976 because it is simply incredible (and you should try it in your quest), and the 1976 was around $60. As I recall the 1968 was around $38 at its lowest, but I bought several times and averaged closer to $50. The 30 year old might have gone as low as $30. Anyway, I have a couple of TNs in the TNDB if you want to look them up. I've had it in the 92-94 range over time.

3. I don't recall having ever had the 1969 Graham, but I can say that I'm normally not that fond of Graham's tawnies. I love their Vintage Ports - they're my favorite producer - but I find their tawnies a little too flabby and sweet. They're just not quite in balance for me. Good, but not great.

[Houston Porter]

Ya, I started off trying to the find one port that beat all others as my favorite, but eventually figured out that there was no such thing because there are so many great ones. But when I find something I really like, I do like to buy a few bottles to have on hand.

I'm definitely interested in trying those '60's Colheita's you mentioned and will keep my eye out for them.

Yes, I have read a bit about Premier Cru Wow, ya, that isn't the "normal" price for the 1968 Krohn. I'd be brushing my teeth with that stuff at that price.

I'll definitely check out your tasting notes because I'm finding that I really like Colheita's in the 30-40 year range.

By the way, we just did a taste test on Burmister Colheita's from 1980, 81, 83 & 85 and were quite impressed with all. They are all just over 30 years, so at roughly $70 each, seem like a great deal. I'm thinking of buying a half-case or so.

[Eric Ifune]

Yes, Premier Cru was selling loads of Krohn since they had them on hand. I picked up a case of the 68 and the 30 year old apiece. They were great wines at a discounted price. Also they had been bought out and I've very fond memories of their lodge from prior visits. I wanted more of their wines with the Krohn label. I don't think we'll see wines of that quality for that price again. One reason the TFP bought them out was their large stocks of wood ages wines for which they were most famous for.

[Houston Porter]

Yes, Premier Cru was selling loads of Krohn since they had them on hand. I picked up a case of the 68 and the 30 year old apiece. They were great wines at a discounted price. Also they had been bought out and I've very fond memories of their lodge from prior visits. I wanted more of their wines with the Krohn label. I don't think we'll see wines of that quality for that price again. One reason the TFP bought them out was their large stocks of wood ages wines for which they were most famous for.

Wood aged ports definitely pique my interest.
When did TFP purchase Krohn?

[Andy Velebil]

Yes, Premier Cru was selling loads of Krohn since they had them on hand. I picked up a case of the 68 and the 30 year old apiece. They were great wines at a discounted price. Also they had been bought out and I've very fond memories of their lodge from prior visits. I wanted more of their wines with the Krohn label. I don't think we'll see wines of that quality for that price again. One reason the TFP bought them out was their large stocks of wood ages wines for which they were most famous for.

Wood aged ports definitely pique my interest.
When did TFP purchase Krohn?

They bought it around June 2013.

I do wonder where Premier Cru got the Krohn's from. IIRC, they were properly imported to the states by their importer (not gray market). Don't know if they got a close out deal or what...reminds me of the crazy deal when Noval switched importers and their 2003 VP was sold off for about $40/bottle, just shy of 50% off release pricing. I bought a boat load at that price.

[Eric Ifune]

I think they did get a close out deal. But then started unloading them because they needed the cash.