Exceptionally ripe, mouth-filling fruit, characteristic of the hot vintage with deliciously spicy Christmas cake notes, this is soft, forward and approachable and excellent value.

Pours a deep, brooding garnet with soft tawny-brick hues catching the edge of the glass, showing two decades of steady cellar maturity. The nose opens with generous aromas of stewed black cherries, macerated damsons, and dried figs, layered with rich Christmas cake spice, sweet cinnamon, cocoa, and a hint of aged cigar box.

On the palate, it is mouth-filling, supple, and comforting without being heavy or cloying. Lush mouthfuls of dark brambles, prune tart, and warm molasses are underpinned by mellow, resolved tannins and a gentle seam of natural acidity that keeps the sweet fruit fresh and balanced. The finish is long, rounded, and gently warming, leaving lingering notes of dark chocolate, cracked spice, and roasted walnuts.

About the Producer

Wiese & Krohn was founded in 1865 by two Norwegians - Theodor Wiese and Dankert Krohn - shipping initially to Scandinavia and Germany. In the century and a half since its foundation, Krohn has built up an outstanding reputation. Long renowned for the quality of their sublime Colheitas (single vintage tawnies), they produce a remarkably complete range for a small house, and each wine excels in its category. Much of the secret lies in the high quality of their vineyards - the magical combination of terroir, locality, aspect, incline and low-yielding vines. Their Quinta do Retiro Novo estate in Sarzedinho, in the Rio Torto valley (where vinification takes place), is all A grade vineyard. Indeed Krohn only work with grapes from A-graded vineyards across all of their ports, and their top wines are still trodden by foot. Since 2013 Krohn has been part of the Fladgate Partnership - alongside Taylor's, Fonseca and Croft.

Vineyard and Winery

Viticulture & Terroir:

Fruit for this vintage was harvested predominantly from Krohn’s flagship estate, Quinta do Retiro Novo, nestled along the steep, tortuous banks of the Rio Torto in the Cima Corgo sub-region. Here, low-yielding, old field-blend vines are planted into steep, dry-stone terraces carved out of pure schist rock. The 2005 growing season began with a remarkably dry winter and spring, followed by intense summer heat. Crucial light showers in early September relieved vine drought stress, allowing the thick-skinned grapes to reach full phenolic ripeness while the cool valley nights preserved vital natural acidity.

Winemaking & Maturation:

The grapes were hand-picked and carefully sorted before entering the winery. Fermentation took place in traditional granite lagares, where the grapes were foot-trodden to gently extract intense colour and supple tannins from the skins. The ferment was arrested at the optimal residual sugar level through the addition of neutral grape spirit (aguardente). The wine was then aged in large oak and chestnut vats for roughly two years before being bottled without filtration. This gentle handling ensures the wine retains all of its natural character, allowing it to develop graceful complexity in bottle over decades. (Note: As this is an authentic, unfiltered Vintage Port, natural sediment will have formed in the bottle; we recommend standing the bottle upright for a few hours and decanting prior to serving).