TNs: 1963 vintage port tasting

WINE TALK
#1

Tonight 29 members of the Copenhagen based port tasting group, Portvinsklubben af 1981, met to taste six 1963 VPs. The line-up was known beforehand but it was not known in what order the wines would be served. The six bottles were: Fonseca, Taylor’s, Graham’s, Quintra do Noval, Cockburn’s and Delaforce.

The wines were scored on the 20-point scale. My score is stated first and followed by the group average.

Wine #1: Bright ruby at the core and light pink rim. Wonderful nose with sweet raspberries, cherry and marzipan. Quite round, nice fruity taste and sweet but a bit too much heat for it to be great. Score 17; 16,6. (Quinta do Noval).

Wine #2: A lot darker than wine #1. Sadly it was corked. The nose of off but you could sense some good stuff Deep down. Taste not that affected (actually tasted quite good) but hard to evaluate. The other table had an unaffected bottled and they were very happy. (Fonseca).

Wine #3: Medium ruby color. The best nose of the night for me. Elegant, floral and stuffed with candied red berries. Simply wonderful. Again quite fruity and fresh on the palate with a very nice balance between fruit, sweetness and heat. Score 18; 16,0. (Cockburn’s).

Wine #4: Looked like an old tawny or a very very old VP. Yellow and transparent. The nose was also quite tawny like with spices and caramel. Again a tawny taste (although not as sweet as an old tawny) with nuts and honey. Score 16; 16,8. (Graham’s bottled in Denmark).

Wine #5: Ruby color and not a big difference between core and rim. Again something was off on the nose. Not corked like the Fonseca but just quite dull. Some said heavy VA. Tasted a bit old and dusty - the fruit couldn’t really cut through. Again the other table had a perfect bottle and it was signing. Talk about bad luck. (Taylor’s).

Wine #6: Reminded me of wine #3 regarding color and aroma but seemed a bit more powerful though. Again the nose was full of sweet fruit and quite complex. On the palate it had a nice freshness and plenty of dark fruit. This wine was also very balanced and had a delicious spicy aftertaste. Score: 18; 17,3. (Delaforce).

[cheers.gif] Andreas
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#2

Looks like some nasty port tong experience.

#3

It’s really unfortunate about the corked Fonseca and probably slightly corked Taylor, which would make the wine seem dull and lifeless. Also too bad about the Graham’s. I’ve had a couple of English-bottled versions that were exceptional, with lots of life left.

It’s nice to hear that the lesser wines like Cockburn and Delaforce are doing well. These tend to be priced well, making older ports pretty accessible.

Thanks much for the great notes.

#4

I was lucky enough to score a dows 63 several years ago. I enjoyed it very much.

#5

Just had a 63 Warre…a bit tawny, but packed with flavor. Very nice bottle. Best 63 Warre ever.

#6

We had a Warre for a friend’s 50th back in May and it was excellent.

#7

Hi Andreas. Nice notes. Here’s my note from a recent tasting of a (non-corked) 1963 Fonseca:

#8

Last night we indulged in my 2nd bottle this year of 1963 Sandeman. While I took no notes this time, my last tasting notes apply well to this bottle, too: 1963 Sandeman Porto Vintage, Portugal, Douro, Porto - CellarTracker

#9

thanks
a swiss-german magazine(Vinum) had this month a article with 1963 VP-tasting.
Noval Nacional 20/20 2013-2100
Dow 19/20 2013-2060
Fonseca 19/20 2013-2060
Taylor 19/20 2013-2050
Burmester 18/20 2013-2035
Cockburn 18/20 2013-2035
Constantino 18/20 2013-2030
Croft 18/20 2013-2050
Delaforce 18/20 2013-2050
Graham 18/20 2013-2040
Offley(Boa Vista) 18/20 2013-2035
Sandeman 18/20 2013-2050
Warre 18/20 2013-2050
Ferreira 17/20 drink
Niepoort 17/20 2013-2040
Noval 16/20 drink
Colheitas
Andresen bottled 2011 18/20 -2030
Burmester bottled 2012 18/20 -2030
Dalva golden white bottled 2012 18/20
Messias bottled 2010 18/20 -2035
Niepoort bottled 1991 18/20 -2020
Casa do Douro bottled 2003 16/20 drink

#10

How long were the wines decanted?
Nice notes.

#11

Thanks John.

The Graham was quite nice but seemed much older than 50 years. Would love to taste a ‘fresh’ version. Agree on the Delaforce and Cockburn’s - I would not hesitate buying them at a good price.

#12

Great note Howard. Would love a glass of non-corked 1963 Fonseca. Tried it one time before in 2010 and remember it being amazing.

#13

I didn’t open them but think they opened 3-4 hours in advance.

#14

Thanks for the list Roman. Glad to see I was spot-on on some of the wines [cheers.gif]

#15

Yes,
had only one 1963 VP ,was from Martinez-Gassiot.Advanced aged,but was nicely.More in colheita direction.Second day was fruitier.
1966 Warre was a good one.
my color collection;