Niepoort Port, 1944

Colheita Port

Description and Reviews:
Niepoort 1944 Colheita Port is a remarkable and rare single-harvest tawny Port that stands as a true testament to time and craftsmanship. "Colheita" means "harvest" in Portuguese, and these Ports are aged in wooden casks for a minimum of seven years — but in the case of Niepoort’s 1944, we're talking about decades of cask ageing, often until bottling in the 1970's. This prolonged ageing process produces a wine of stunning depth, complexity, and elegance.

In the glass, the 1944 Colheita shows a beautiful amber-tawny color, with greenish hues on the rim — a telltale sign of serious age. The nose is intoxicatingly complex, offering toffee, dried figs, orange peel, almond brittle, vanilla, spice, and oxidative notes like old wood and balsamic. On the palate, it’s incredibly smooth and concentrated, with rich caramelized fruit, roasted nuts, vibrant acidity, and a long, almost endless finish that hums with elegance and warmth.

What sets Colheitas like this apart is their balance between sweetness and freshness — despite its age, the 1944 still carries life, energy, and structure, all thanks to careful ageing in old barrels under ideal cellar conditions. Because it’s aged oxidatively, once bottled it’s very stable, so unlike vintage Port, it doesn't need to be consumed immediately after opening (though good luck not finishing it!).