Kopke Colheita 2006 (375ML)

Kopke dates its founding to 1638, when Christiano Kopke set up the house, and aged single-harvest Colheitas are what it is best known for. This one comes from the 2006 harvest, which the house describes as producing ripe, thick-skinned grapes with good acidity. After a short, intense maceration in lagares, fermentation was stopped with grape brandy and the wine went into 630-liter oak casks. Colheita rules call for seven years in wood; this spent nearly two decades there before bottling. The vines grow on steep schist terraces along the Douro’s left bank, and Carlos Alves now heads the winemaking. Golden-brown with a red glint, it smells of dates, dried figs, toffee, vanilla and old leather. It is full and sweet, at 112 g/l of sugar, with tannins worn soft and a long, nutty finish. Stilton, pecan pie and crème brûlée all work.