The 1965 Port Vintage was not an exceptional Vintage though some Port houses did make a declaration. Port vintages in the 60s, 70s and 80s tended to be limited to about 3, or maybe 4, declarations per decade. Today it almost seems as if the Port houses make a declaration every other year, I guess things have changed an awful lot since then. 1965 was a very dry vintage, there was some rain in March, but the vines became very stressed and dried up as no more rain was forthcoming during the rest of the year. It was therefore a difficult vintage. This combined with a bit of an abundance of Vintage Port in the early 1960s with 1960, 1963 (a classic) and 1966 being declared meant only a handful of Port houses declared 1965 Vintage Port.
However, 1965 was a very significant vintage for Wiese and Krohn as it was their centenary vintage. It was a small vintage and only 2600 bottles have ever been released and then only directly from the Krohn’s cellars. This year, 2015, there has been a very small amount of this Port released to celebrate Krohn’s 150th Anniversary.
Krohn 1965 Vintage Port is not the only 1965 Vintage Port that was released. There are only a handful of other Vintage Ports from 1965 but most others that I have seen have been Single Quinta Ports or similar, such as Fonseca Guimaraens 1965. These should not be confused with with with 1965 Colheita Port. A Colheita Port is a Tawny Port made from grapes from a single harvest (like Vintage Port) that has to be aged for at least 7 years in oak casks and, in practice, much longer. These are a different style of Port.
(from Wiese and Krohn) An attractive pale, brick red colour. Krohn 1965 has a very fine, mature nose dispalying rich, opulent aromas of coffee and butterscotch overlaid with hints of apricot and tobacco. On the palate the Port shows exceptional elegance without the slightest heaviness. Rich, mocha flavours flow into the long warming mellow finish. A beautifully mature, Vintage Port, complex and seductive, showing great poise and finesse.
Each bottle of Krohn 1965 Vintage Port was hend-stencilled with the words “Vintage 1965” at time of bottling. The bottle also features modern front and back labels and the Port is presented in a smart, wooden gift box.
This Port will require decanting – please read my Guide to Decanting Port.
Wiese and Krohn was founded in 1865 by two young Norwegians, Theodor Wiese & Dankert Krohn. Edmundo Falcão Carneiro acquired the company in the 1930s and Wiese and Krohn was run by the second and third generations of the Falcão Carneiro family until 2013. Krohn Port was acquired by the Fladgate Partnership (owners of Taylor, Croft and Fonseca) in 2013. Krohn’s stocks of Port reach over 5 million litres and are stored in six cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia and one cellar in the Douro Region. They have exceptional stocks of aged tawny Port and colheita Port dating back to 1863.
Are you looking for 1965 Vintage Armagnac? Read my article here about Baron de Lustrac and Baron de Sigognac Armagnac.
