1963 Quinta do Noval

[John Sel]

At 4-5 hours after decanting. Broad band of paleness at the rim. The wine shows tawny when viewed through the side of the glass, but there is a distinct red hue when the glass is upright. Obvious spirit on the nose at first. Underlying fruit on the follow through which shows caramel, aniseed and rose petal. Graceful wine on the palate. The initial glycerol mouthfeel is followed by a marked acidic impact. Lovely warm , dark fruit makes an appearance - long and sweet with very good length of flavour. Really a beautiful elderly vintage port which Is fully developed so far as I can tell. One of three bottles acquired in the early 1980s. Well worth the wait. I don't have a lot of experience of wines of this this age, but for the experience on a special day, worthy of 94 points.

[Glenn E.]

Nice note, John, which matches my memories of the Port.

[John Sel]

Thanks Glenn. The surprise for me today is that, revisiting the remains in the decanter (kept at 15C), there was no obvious sign of decline. If anything, the aromatics seemed to show a touch more complexity, while the strength of flavour on the palate was undiminished. I'm not suggesting that there is the potential for further development in bottle, but the strong acidic backbone would seem to make this a fairly robust wine after opening.

[Andy Velebil]

There is two versions of this Port. The one you got and one that is quite spirity and on the decline. Other than speculation, I have no idea why there are two very distinct showings of this and as far as I know there is no outward way to tell from just looking at the bottles. It's a roll of the dice as to which bottle you get.