The Wine Advocate
The NV Very Old White Port Celebration was bottled in 2019. It comes with a nice wooden box that announces an age of 50 years—although that’s not on the label. The winery calls this their Celebration Porto, although that’s not on the label as a title either, but it is on the box. Plus, it’s actually a 1970 Colheita White Port (also not on the label) because “at the time we were not a Port merchant, so we were not allowed to certify it as a 1970 White Port.” It is a field blend that comes in with 104 grams of residual sugar and 21.5% alcohol. It was bottled with a long cork. So, let’s get to this 1970 White Colheita that may not speak its name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, right? Fresh, light and bright, this elegant Porto dances across the tongue, seeming lively and refreshing. The underlying complexity eventually shows up, and there’s a Tawny-like touch of caramel. The beautiful acidity, though, is the selling point here. There’s tension on the juicy and delicious finish. It is always refreshing, a white that retains its character as a white rather than becoming a tawny wannabe. There’s a hint of spirits here and there, but it handles it well. Focused and still a prime-time wine that seems very youthful, this is in great shape. It was notably better a couple of days later. There were just 666 bottles produced.
