- 1986 Quevedo Colheita Branco
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From time to time, I am sent or given samples to taste. Most of the time they are very pleasant surprises and I enjoy tasting them, giving an honest opinion on what I find. Occasionally I taste something that I just have to track down and buy — this was one of those occasions. If you like serious, proper and well-crafted White Port (which is on the drier side of the spectrum) this is a wine to try and buy.
1986 Quevedo Colheita Branco, a cask sample sent for tasting. Burnt ochre in colour with a wide green-toned rim; dark in tone, showing its time spent maturing in wood. So lovely on the nose. There is dried mango and bruised plum, bruised in that way when the flesh has started to darken and tastes of brown sugar - yet blended in with this is a clover honey and a pinch of mace. I love the nose, alluring and inviting and so easy to sniff time and time again. Despite all the promises of honey and sweetness, this is quite dry on the palate — but there is no compromise on the huge range of flavours! There is plenty of ripe fruit, a little orange, a little quince, a touch of balsamic, a hint of white peppercorn — you get the idea. The longer you hold the wine in your mouth, the more flavours come out.
After a while there is so much on the palate you have to swallow the mouthful of wine. Wow!! And then the aftertaste and finish kick into gear. There is cinder toffee, a rich and sweet crêpe Suzette, lingering butterscotch but which is balanced with a delicious black tea. The flavours just keep popping up and then giving way to the next one. Long, rich and immensely satisfying.
White Port used to be kept by the family for drinking by themselves because no-one was interested in buying it. That was the world’s loss and the family’s gain - but the Quevedo family have chosen to share this treasure with us and I am so grateful they have. This is a wonderful example of how a white Port from an overlooked vintage can turn from a spotty chrysalis into the most incredibly beautiful butterfly of a wine. This is a superb glass of Port. 98/100.
