Kopke 10 year old White Port

An absolutely excellent barrel-aged white port of a quality that Kopke has been able to achieve by using a high average age in the blend for its class. Furthermore, it draws on the house's centuries-long experience with barrel-aged port wines, of which Kopke belongs to a small elite.

Since the port is made exclusively from green grapes (including Malvasia Fina, Viosinho, Gouveio, Codega), the aging is particularly noticeable, as the grape's imprint is less visible in the aroma than a similar tawny. As with other barrel-aged ports with age information, this white port is a blend of a long series of vintages from Kopke's impressive inventory of old barrels. The average age of the wine is somewhere between 10 and 20 years, which explains the intensity, complexity and 'promoted' acidity that is far above what one would expect from a 10-year-old port.

The aroma and taste are intense with a wonderful potpourri of dried fruit, Crème Brûlée, nuts, smoke, nutmeg, Bitter Orange, and an underlying fruit on the second violin with Galia melon and pickled pear. The sweetness is nicely matched by the acidity, so the whole appears with the right weight.