For The Love Of Port

Hello,

I've recently acquired a bottle of Quinta do Noval Vintage 1963 (the regular, not the Nacional) on a visit to Lisboa. I've opened many other vintage bottles in the past but none were from the 1960's.

From what I've read and done in the past, when you open a vintage, you want to let it sit in the decanter for 2-3 hours before serving. The exception being: if your vintage is old, you want to drink it right away after decanting, so it does not spoil. My question is: with the Noval 1963, should I let it sit like other newer vintages or should it be drunk right away after decanting?

Thank you!

I last had a regular Noval '63 on March 25th of this year. The bottle was ex-cellars and it was consumed along with the managing director, Christian Seely. The fruit was fading a bit leaving the alcohol to show too prominently and this was a full mature Port that was on the other side of its apex. FWIW, I rated it 86 points at that time.

So, IF that was a typical well-stored bottle of this, I'd reccomend only decanting for two hours, no more than that.

Well well I log on for the first time and the first topic is about Port from my birth year...an omen !!
Wish I had more than a solitary bottle of Warres 63 though. Not sure if this will hold for my 50th ?
Roy (others) does the advice given hold true for all 63's or just the Noval mentioned ?

i have one left in the cellar the last one was drunk ten years ago i feel an urge to open lol

Ray,

Certainly for the Noval mentioned and I'd add Cockburn's and Sandeman to that list too. The latter VP was a stunning youngster and held beautifully until the mid-1990s when it started to fade rather rapidly. It used to be one of my favorites, circa the mid-to late 1980s.

Thank you for the feedback! To give me a reference vs. a wine I've drunk before, how would you rate the Taylor's VP 1970 and 1985?

Seb.

Roy Hersh wrote:I last had a regular Noval '63 on March 25th of this year. The bottle was ex-cellars and it was consumed along with the managing director, Christian Seely. The fruit was fading a bit leaving the alcohol to show too prominently and this was a full mature Port that was on the other side of its apex. FWIW, I rated it 86 points at that time.

So, IF that was a typical well-stored bottle of this, I'd reccomend only decanting for two hours, no more than that.

Fair enough Seb,

I am not really fond of the '85 (or '83) Taylor's vintage Port. It is a solid 85-88 pt. wine depending on the bottle. It has never impressed or left a resounding mark on my palate and its strong point, is a better than average finish. Otherwise, I can think of at least a half dozen better wines from the vintage.

I will simply sum up the 1970 Taylor Vintage Port by saying, I named my daughter Taylor, due to my love of this wine! Points don't matter here.

Roy Hersh wrote:I last had a regular Noval '63 on March 25th of this year. The bottle was ex-cellars and it was consumed along with the managing director, Christian Seely. The fruit was fading a bit leaving the alcohol to show too prominently and this was a full mature Port that was on the other side of its apex.

I was lucky to be sitting with Roy earlier this year when we drank this Port. I'd agree with everything Roy said. Most of the 1963's are either fully mature or fading, aside from the usual suspects, which are:
- Noval Nacional
- Fonseca
- Taylor
- Graham

Nicos

How about the '63 Dow and the '63 Croft?
:)
-Ed

Eddie wrote:How about the '63 Dow and the '63 Croft?
:)
-Ed

If you own any bottles, I would drink them in the next 12 months. I tried both a couple of years ago and they were on the way down.

I have enjoyed Dow 1963 in the past year and think it is just behind the other greats that Nicos mentioned.

As far as the '63 Croft, I had given up on it after a string of poor showings. This past June, I had some with friends from Taylor and their bottle was ex-cellars and fabulous. So IF you are assured of the provenance and the price is right ... I'd go for a bottle or half case.

Thanks for the info!
How long would you decant a '63 Dow?