A Touriga Nacional-based blend of traditional Douro red varieties, grown on schist-sandstone soils at 600 meters of elevation.
Tawny wines are aged oxidatively in barrel, and typically blend multiple vintages together to achieve the desired age character. Colheitas, on the other hand, are tawny wines made from a single harvest. Kopke ages their Colheitas in oak barrels for periods of time that can vary, but never less than 7 years. They are bottled from cask as the market dictates.
The Thirty Years' War was raging in Europe, and Portuguese explorers had just ascended the Amazon River for the first time. Amid this historical turmoil, Nicolau Köpke, a merchant from Hamburg, arrived in the Douro as the Consul General of the Hanseatic League to Portugal. After a few years, in 1781, Köpke purchased a farm in the Douro and transitioned the Kopke House from a wine-buying company to a significant producer. Port Wine soon became the company's primary focus.
In 1922, Kopke acquired Quinta de São Luiz, a property that has since become known for producing high-quality DOC Douro wines. The property's soil and vines are highly regarded by connoisseurs of Douro wines, with its vines classified as Grade A, the best in the Demarcated Region of the Douro. The company is renowned for its white and tawny wines, especially colheitas, or single-vintage tawnies.
Kopke's library stocks are legendary and considered among the deepest in the Douro region. The company offers age statements up to 40 years and even older Colheitas. For those looking to explore the offerings of this legendary house, it is recommended to start with their Fine range, which offers affordable blends of young Ports from different harvests aged for at least three years.