For The Love Of Port

If you had to choose just one (and if you choose more they'll disappear :devil: ) which one particular Colheita stands out as the greatest in your experience?

If you know if/how it had been decanted and what the bottling date was, please add those dimensions too, as it will provide some helpful insight. Also, if you'd like to share when/where that would make it even more fun for the rest to read.

Mine was with David Spriggs, Stephen Mitchell and Mario, while visiting the Symington's on the very first Harvest Tour back in 2005. Yes, we did our first tour (an experiment of sorts) with just 2 guests. We had a remarkable time given our small ranks and were fortunate to meet up with Frederick Blais and his family while we were there.

Here is the story on the actual Colheita that I will never forget:

1882 A.J.S. Reserve Port – This is the kind of story I will tell my grandkids some day. This juice was vinified in 1882 and sat in a Rio Torto farmer’s property until 1970 (the same year the Symington’s bought Graham’s). They bought all five smaller than normal pipes of this incredible nectar that the farmer was selling to pay for his daughter’s wedding. The Symington’s never did bottle the juice and so it sits, at least two of the casks do, in an office just outside of the tasting room. We were most fortunate to be invited to try this fabulous treat. Coincidentally, or maybe not, the 1882 vintage was vinified during the latter stages of Phylloxera in the Douro, also it was the same year that Andrew James Symington arrived in Oporto from Scotland. He was the 1st Symington to join the Port trade (by marriage, to Beatrice Atkinson) which is now in the hands of Peter from the third generation and six other Symington’s from the fourth. Some members of the 5th generation are close to being ready to take the reigns, or at least try to earn them.

This stunning Colheita looks like coffee or darkest amber in my Port glass with a yellow meniscus. The nose is intricately woven together with ethereal treacle, crème brulee and penetrating honeyed aromas. In the mouth this is just liquid velvet that is concentrated with marzipan, hazelnuts and rich, melt-in-your-mouth butterscotch. This is a gloriously rich and refined Port with intense laser guided acidity providing perfect balance. How does one score a Port experience like this? 98 points (10/26/05)


Now it is your turn to share ...

Cheers!

I don't have much experience with really old Ports, so my selection is limited. However, there is one that stands out for me because - so far - it is the best Port I have ever tasted.

Porto Rocha Colheita 1977 (bottled in 2005)

I have tried various other 1977s and none can hold a candle to the Rocha, at least to me. It is exceptionally smooth, has no bitter twist to it (which I can find in just about any wine), and rides that fine line between being light enough to drink without food yet still heavy enough to drink with food. It is, for me, the Perfect Port.

I'm down to 4 bottles and 2 splits. :-(

I don't have much experience of Colheita's but there is one that stands out for me. I bought it on Ebay about 3 years ago from a seller in The Netherlands. When it arrived It was in a wicker basket shaped like a wine pourer. The label and capsule were worn and faded and appeared to be around 30 years old.

I shared this wine with three friends last year in London to celebrate one of the groups half century birthday. It was a fabulous wine and was definately head and shoulders above any other colheita I have experienced.

Niepoort 1957 Colhieta, believed bottled in the 1970's - nectar

Derek

For me it would be the 1940 Burmester that I am waiting to open. My only hurdle is convincing the wife that any time is a momentous enough occasion. We were lucky enough to try some while in Portugal and it was the best we've had.

1937 Colheita from Niepoort, bottled in 71.

tasted last year during my harvest experience at Napoles. I can't believe around 6+ persons did not finish their glass.

Burmester 1937 Colheita.

The best i've ever tasted. This was a huge wine, a world class wine.

Krohn 1900. It's been a while since I tried it, but I remember it as the best ever.

-Lars

I'll also vote for the 1882 AJS Reserva - an *amazing* wine. I gave it 99 points. But of course you can't buy that. So of the Colheitas you can actually buy - I think that the 1937 Ramos Pinto was my favorite. I seem to remember Roy holding his hand over the top of a glass of this while in the car :twisted:

-Dave-

It was kind of a toss up between two. But I've settled on the 1927 Constantinos Colheita.

Niepoort 1912 .

Guilherme

I seem to remember Roy holding his hand over the top of a glass of this while in the car

I doth not protest too much. Guilty as charged, but I was not driving your honor!

Come on Alex and others ...

I've had some great colheitas in my time, although they are not my preferred style of port. In terms of points awarded, the most impressive that I have tasted was the 1853 Whitwams Dom Pedro bottling, although I guess that technically this is not a colheita as I understand that the documentation that would be required to enable the IVDP to authorise it to be labelled as a colheita is not available.

That would make it a tie between the Andresen 1982 (fantastic value for money and currently on sale in the market), the Kopke 1940 and the Ramos Pinto 1937.

But my most memorable colheita ever is the Burmester 1937. Around 20 years ago, just out of college, I was working at a client's site in Barraida to the south of Lisbon. On my way home I called in at the duty free shop in the airport and saw an array of port going back far longer than I had ever seen before (my perception of port was that the earliest vintage was 1963, that was the oldest I had ever seen at that time). On the shelf there were what I now know to be colheita ports from Burmester going back to 1937. I bought a bottle of the oldest on the shelf and took it home with me. I opened it the following weekend and was absolutely stunned at how thick and flavourful this was - but how different it was in terms of the port that I had drunk up until that time.

I still have the empty bottle. It has a special place in my memory.

Alex

Niepoort 1937. I didn't note the bottling year, but it was served at a tasting in 2002 when Dirk visited. Unfortunately, by the time I'd made up my mind to actually buy a bottle, it was sold out.

Jan-Torre,

It is a rare and distinct honor to have you back with us again!

I truly hope we get to drink together one day as I am sure we would have many fine stories to share ... not to mention bottles.

If you ever have a chance to find the 1935 Niepoort, it is something very special. The 1937 is fantastic, but the 1935 is simply one of the greatest Ports I have ever enjoyed. I have one bottle of it left in the cellar for some very special occasion. Hopefully next time Dirk comes here, I'll pop this one. I know it is his personal favorite of the Niepoort Colheitas. One can never taste this particular bottle enough times in their lifetime.

Please do come back and join us again soon. You've been missed!

What makes the 1st Colheita I tasted so special , was the fact me and my mom polished off the bottle at her 70th birthday .
It was a Krohn 1958 , bottled in 1997 .
Saweet . . .