Niepoort Colheita 1968 – Historic Old Bottling – Stencilled Bottle

A superb piece of Niepoort history: an original old bottling of the legendary 1968 Colheita Port. Produced from the 1968 harvest and matured for many years in wooden cask in the traditional cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia, this historic Niepoort Colheita represents the classic old-school style for which the house became renowned. Unlike modern releases, this bottle presents beautifully in an original embossed Niepoort bottle with the wine’s identity hand-stencilled directly onto the glass: “Porto – Colheita 1968 – Envelhecido em Casco – Niepoort & Cª – Porto-Portugal.” The bottle also retains its traditional red Niepoort capsule and, importantly, its original Instituto do Vinho do Porto guarantee strip, individually numbered 140687, still crossing the closure. Colheita Port is produced from a single harvest and matured oxidatively in wooden casks before bottling. Niepoort is particularly celebrated for this traditional style, producing Colheitas of remarkable concentration, freshness and longevity. The 1968 is associated with the classic mature profile of old Niepoort Colheita: dried fruit, orange peel, nuts, caramel, dark chocolate, spice and oxidative complexity, balanced by the freshness and acidity characteristic of the house. A specialist description of the 1968 notes citrus, smoky nuances, orange peel, dark chocolate and butterscotch, with considerable length.