Quevedo Colheita 1976 – Nearly 50 Years in Cask – 96 Points – Wooden Case

Quevedo Colheita 1976 Porto – Nearly 50 Years of Cask Ageing An exceptional old Colheita Port from Quevedo, produced from the remarkable 1976 Douro harvest and matured for almost half a century before bottling. Unlike Vintage Port, which develops primarily in bottle, a Colheita is a wine from a single declared harvest that undergoes extended oxidative ageing in wood. In this case, Quevedo’s 1976 remained in 550-litre chestnut casks until its 2023 bottling, giving the wine nearly 50 years to develop extraordinary complexity. The wine was originally fermented in traditional granite vats before beginning its extraordinarily long maturation. Quevedo describes the resulting wine as showing layers of crème brûlée, caramel, almonds, hazelnuts, spice and citrus, with mature sweetness beautifully balanced by acidity and an exceptionally long, spicy finish. Critical recognition has been excellent, with 96/100 from Revista de Vinhos and 94/100 from Wine Advocate. Wine Advocate praised its complexity, concentration, freshness and nuanced finish.