1965 Rocha Colheita Port

[Glenn E.]

I've had this 375 ml bottle for a while, so since I just picked up 2 more during the last FTLOP purchasing opportunity I thought this would be a good year to open one of my wife's birthday Colheitas. We're going to take the rest of the half down to Tacoma to share with her mother for Mother's Day.

1965 Porto Rocha Colheita
bottled 2005, 375 ml

Color: Medium tawny with a little bit of greenish-yellow near the rim. Ruby highlights.

Nose: Butterscotch and caramel along with some alcohol. Maybe a little bit of pecan, too.

Palate: Sweet and full on entry, very mellow and smooth. Not as tart or acidic as a Kopke, which is good. Some dark (it almost seems dried) tangerine or possibly blood orange. A faint impression of walnuts very late.

Finish: Some dried apricots lead the way, followed by some torrefaction that's not quite coffee-like. The finish re-displays the walnuts then slowly becomes a little too bitter, then resolves as green apples. Nice length.

Score: 92 points. An excellent Colheita from a year that can be hard to find. I'd like a little more roundness in the mouth and less bitterness in the finish to move it into the outstanding range.