vintage Port 189Although the standard is not as quite as high across the board as in 1963, there are a
number of really stupendous vintage Ports combining structure and quintessential ‘bitter
chocolate’ intensity. Quinta do Noval Nacional typifies the vintage, matching its cast-
iron tannic backbone with supreme elegance. Dow and Fonseca are two of my all-time
favourites followed by dense, brooding wines from Delaforce, Graham and Taylor. The
latter, when I tasted it in a vertical in 2007, was even more impressive than the 1963 from
the same house. Cálem is also very fine. The 1966s may be drunk now but the best of
these wines will keep for a lifetime or more.
Pick of the Vintage: Dow; Croft; Graham; Fonseca; Quinta do Noval Nacional; Sandeman.
1965 **
The winter of 1964/65 was dry and, after a wet spring, hot, dry weather returned for the
summer. The vines suffered and the rain, which fell sporadically during vintage, actually
benefited the grapes. The wines can be a bit green and simple as a result but with good body.
No fully-fledged declaration apart from Wiese & Krohn, but there are some fine second-
string wines like Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas, Dow’s Bomfim and Graham’s Malvedos which
have developed well. Drink fairly soon. Fonseca Guimaraens is a little burnt and pruney in
style but will keep. A Sandeman wine (tasted in 2011) was still surprisingly youthful with
firm tannic grip running right through to the finish; an example of just how good wines
from this house were before the multinational owners stepped in.
1964 *
Coincided with the introduction of autovinification. Exceedingly hot weather during the
vintage produced some round, full-blown jammy wines that are either fully mature or
fading. Ronald Symington commented at the time that ‘the forecasting of the quality is
a difficult and open question, as rarely have weather conditions varied to such extremes
during vintage’. Graham’s Malvedos was displaying a roasted quality when I tasted it in
- Quinta do Noval Nacional (tasted in 2011) is now fairly pale, with the aroma of
violets and icing sugar, elegant, succulent but falling away on the finish. Drink soon.
1963 ***** a classic vintage, ready now and with years ahead
A textbook growing season in northern Portugal: a cold winter followed by a wet spring
set the vines up for a long, warm summer. Rain helped to swell the grapes just before the
harvest, which took place under ideal conditions with warm days and cool nights. Ronald
Symington reported at the time that ‘mostos [musts] look very nice indeed and seem to
have plenty of flavour and colour even if perhaps lacking a little in “guts”’. Dick Yeatman
of Taylor’s recorded that the grapes were ripe but the stalks were still green at the start of
vintage, ‘rather like the 1924s’ (which also turned out very well indeed). A large volume of
wine was made and Dick Yeatman noted ‘acidification widely needed’.
Widely declared, 1963 has subsequently become a benchmark vintage. The vintage
was good across the board. All the wines have evolved well, although a number are now