1963 Sandeman Vintage Port

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

Decanted 15:30, sampled 18:00. Somewhere between red-brown and brown, with a very alcoholic nose. Something interesting on the nose: oranges? To taste the same prominence of the alcohol, but also marzipan and cherry-flavoured candy. Mrs W suggests that it “tastes like cherry starburst” (aside: formerly Opal Fruits, though I don’t remember a Cherry Opal Fruit—growing old eh?).

Recently the good 1985s have given me more pleasure, so on the Tom scale maybe something like 3.

Needs no more time, neither in cellar nor decanter. You should be looking for an opportunity to drink up the remainder of your collection of Sandeman 1963.

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

With the passage of time, the alcohol is softening and the sugar becoming more predominant. S63 really needs no more time in the cellar: drink up.

[Ronald Wortel]

Thanks for the notes. Did you try it straight after decanting too? Would be interesting to know if it showed a bit more lively initially.

[Roy Hersh]

I think Julian is right on the money with his description. I have found in numerous tastings of this wine from various source, that for my palate it is already past its prime, like a decade past it. It is now a tasty old Tawny. I did read someone who posted on a recent bottle that they found it still drinking at peak. I've not had that experience since about 1994 and around 1996 and 1997 felt that bottles had head over the other side of the mountain.

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

For some now-forgotten reason (baby? dog?) I didn’t get to try immediately after decanting, though I usually do have a small ‘quality-control’ sample.

[Derek T.]

I have to put in a word for one particular bottling of the S63 - Alex Bridgeman and I shared a bottle at our Port n Spa evening in 2006 and it certainly bucked the trend for S63 experiences. The bottle we had was spectacular and not in any way on the decline.

Hopefully Alex can provide more info on provenance as this paticular bottling is light years ahead of the norm.

Derek

[Al B.]

That particular bottle that Derek and I shared in August 2006 was acquired from Berrys about 15 years ago when they were clearing out some odds and ends from their cellars in London. The odds and ends included 9 bottles of the S63 that had lain in St James undisturbed since being shipped.

I have 2 left, lying undisturbed in my "cellars" now.

Alex

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

I have quoted these comments in a new thread entitled Great bottlings of less-than-great ports.