1987 Kopke Colheita Port

[Glenn E.]

From a 375 ml bottle; bottled in 2002. We took advantage of the Purple Cafe's liberal 1st-bottle-no-corkage policy to celebrate our 23rd anniversary.

1987 Kopke Colheita

Color: A nice medium tawny. It gives the impression of a slightly older tawny like perhaps a 20 Year Old, though there's not even as much red in it as a typical one of those either. Some sediment in the bottom, but the first couple of glasses were crystal clear.
Nose: Butterscotch, prunes, dates... some lemon/citrus and a bit of vanilla. Very nice nose. Alcohol is difficult to detect.
Palate: "like drinking melted butterscotch candy" says my wife. I agree. Dark honey/molasses. Toasted sugar (a la creme brulee). Very rich and surprisingly mature in profile. Exceptionally well integrated - the alcohol is almost invisible, providing only a perfect warmth. Again it seems more like a 20 Year Old (or older) and not a relatively young 15-years-in-wood tawny. Acidity is perfect - not too bright, but solidly present and accounted for. With time in glass (and with food), some lighter and sweeter flavors appear such as vanilla and cotton candy. I never could pick a specific citrus to match what's in the glass. A day later I can pick up some coffee.
Finish: No notes - I forgot to check before the food arrived. A day later it seems to be medium length, with pleasantly warm citrus and an even fade. For the first time I notice the remnants of tannins in the finish as well as a very slight bite that in a VP I would associate with over-extraction. The tail is exceptionally long and reminds me of grape skin/granny smith apples.

Score: A very tough call. I fear that the ambiance and anniversary dinner affected my perception, but I really enjoyed this half bottle. We shared it with our waitress and the bartender, and they both said it was the best Port they'd ever tasted. (Not that that's necessarily saying much.) I gave it 94 points.