Kopke‘s Port Master Blender Carla Tiago is quite resolved to the fact that she may never taste, in their final form, some of the wines she is working on now, because she might be dead by the time that they are fully developed. It’s not that Tiago is old (she’s not). It’s that Kopke’s Ports are being built for the very, very, very (very) long haul.
A native of Torre de Moncorvo, in Douro Superior, Tiago initially studied Biochemistry, and “working in wine was something I never thought about,” she told me during a video tasting of some of Kopke’s latest offerings. When the opportunity arose to intern in a lab for a Port producer, Tiago took it, but she didn’t get fully bitten by the wine bug until 2005m, when she was asked to work harvest. It was then that she realized “I know what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
Her life in winemaking at Kopke began at Quinta São Luiz, helping to craft still wines. But her shift to Port Master Blender in 2022 changed her perspective entirely.
“When you start to think about how to engage with a wine to ensure that you have a wine that is going to age [a very long time], it’s completely different,” she mused during our video call. “You’re taking care of wines that were made decades ago, while you’re also making new wines for the next generation.”
Speaking of that next generation… will they even be interested in Port (or wine in general)? Tiago likes to think the answer is Yes, and cites separating Port from the idea that it should only be sipped during holidays and celebrations is the key to its future success. “We really need to show people these wines,” she insisted, “especially young persons!”
I am no longer a “younger person” (helloooo, Fifties!); but, Kopke did get some of their recent releases in front of me, and they remain as impressive as ever (for more on Kopke and some of their other wines, see my previous coverage here)…
Bottled in 2024 (Kopke only bnottles VPs ten or more years after harvest (“every time we bottle a 2005, it’s going to be a different wine [experience]” Tiago remarked), this sipper is figgy, mineral, and very spicy, with an exuberant nose of earth, honeycomb, toffee, and dried rose petal. Tiago called it “a bit irreverent” and I can see what she means in this wine’s sweet, powerful mouthfeel. Still, it’s quite fresh (which Tiago attributes to Kopke’s house-style 8practice of aging their Ports by the sea, where the more even temperatures and higher humidity help maintain the wines’ balance), even among its flavors of rum spice, dried figs, and nuts.
2005 Kopke Colheita White Port, $80
Kopke’s ability to jump on the relatively new White Port designations is a byproduct of their history as the oldest Port house. “The Tawny style was always the focus,” Tiago explained, and while White Ports were not common, Kopke had been making them as back as the 1930s. Back then, aging the Whites was done mostly for family/personal consumption (what Tiago called the “more romantic Portuguese way,” as opposed to the more pragmatic Port production spearheaded by the British). When the aged White categories were officially introduced, Kopke had the stock available to jump right on them. In the case of this 2005 vintage release, there is much to love: dried flowers, honey, baking spices, hints of dried peach, great minerality, and excellent freshness. It’s capped off with flavors of dried figs and fresh-off-the-tree nuttiness on an impeccable and lengthy finish.
Kopke 20 Year Old White Port, $150
Bottled in 2023, this White is much nuttier than its Colheita cousin but with simlar floral elements, and all of the dried fruit notes that you’d expect. Warmer baking spice4s, hints of earth, caramel, and wet stone also add to the intrigue. On entry, the palate is pretty sweet (figuratively and literally), but the toffee action is balanced by hefty power and ample freshness. Toasty notes come in gentle waves along with orange peel bitterness on a long finish. On a side note, I have literally been drinking this, at the time of this writing (Feb. 2025) for four months (with the help of some minor preservation), and it is still absolutely f-cking delicious.
2022 Kopke Quinta Sao Luiz Vintage Port, $85
This VP is sourced from all-estate fruit, grown smack-dab in the middle of the Douro where the more continental climate is tempered somewhat by the altitude of the plantings. According to Tiago, the site expresses big differences in the fruit at its various expositions, even among the same varieties. About 70% of this is sourced from older vines, and its backbone is based on 30% Touriga Nacional. Blackberry compote, backing spices, pepper, blueberries, violets, Bergamot, clay, cocoa, black tea leaf, and dark plums… there is just soooo much happening on the nose here. The palate gets spicy and powerful very quickly, after an entry of lovely florals and dark fruit. The tension is fabulous, with freshness, power, and structure all battling cordially for supremacy. The long finish is subdued right now, with spicy plum, blackberry, and tea. Remember when we talked about being dead before a wine would be fully ready? This might be one of those wines…
Cheers!