The Last Drop ‘Centenario’ Very Old Colheita Tawny Port 1870 & 1970 Duo

Bottle No. 639 of 770 bottles

Since 2008, we have brought some of the world’s finest spirits to connoisseurs and collectors. In the same spirit of discovery, Ben Howkins – a renowned authority on Port –long maintained that a truly fine old Tawny Port could command a place alongside such esteemed spirits. In 2016 we therefore journeyed to one of the oldest wine regions in the world: the Douro Valley in northern Portugal.

For centuries, generations of farmers in the Douro Valley have kept back stocks of their best wines. These ancient oak casks were seldom moved. A few litres might be enjoyed on special occasions: prized aged Tawny Ports were viewed as ‘the family silver’

One such family were the van Zellers. Arriving in Portugal in the middle of the 17th century, they remain part of the Douro landscape to this day. With the help of Cristiano van Zeller, we unearthed something unique and wonderful: The Last Drop “Centenario” duo of Tawny Ports.

Our 11th release comprises two very old Tawny Ports, from 1870 and 1970. Whilst the older was made from grapes on pre-Phyllorexa vines, the younger came from vines grafted onto American root stock after the louse wiped out huge swathes of Europe’s vineyards. As such, the two extraordinary bottles offer a rare opportunity to sample two dramatically different chapters in the history of Port.