1960 Croft Porto Vintage- Portugal, Douro, Porto (1/18/2018)
I noticed this had started leaking a little so it was time to open it. The cork was fully saturated but I managed to get it out in one piece with a Durand corkscrew. Decanted 3 hours. The color on this one has turned more of a redish tawny. Cinnamon, baked brown sugar and Christmas cake nose. The palate isn’t showing the a ton of complexity with mostly resolved tannins, rhubarb, baked cherries, and some mahogany which I didn’t expect. A bit confected, which I assume is due to some extra air exposure from the failing cork. The finish however was quite long with cherries, menthol and a continuation of that mahogany. There was only a touch of spirit that showed up on the finish, though not out of the ordinary for such an old and delicate VP. This bottle was on the more delicate side, which I presume is due to the cork issue, as I’ve had others which didn’t show so. None the less still a very enjoyable bottle.
89 Points (89 pts.)
Thanks for the note Andy which was topical for me as I managed to pick up a '60 Croft and '60 Noval last year (birth year wines for me) which I hope to open in the not too distant future and share with friends. The condition of both bottles looks very good, so your comment regarding ‘other’ bottles, along with the notes on this most recent one, have me feeling some cautious confidence for a vintage that is now getting on a bit and probably a little past its peak?
About 5-7 years ago this vintage was looking a bit tired. Then it made a small comeback and is showing better once again. Always fun to see how VP can go through weird phases and come back out again better. Both should be very nice Ports when you get around to opening them.