Small x3 Vintage Port Tasting: Creamy butterscotch, walnuts and touch of orange. Very expressive and intense long aftertaste. Absolutely stunning wine! This is just an absolutely stunning and complete glass of wine. Perfectly aged and it is certainly at its peak right now!
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By the glass. Still a spicy nose and dried lavender herbs. On the palate ending with a bitter chocolate aftertaste. Representative that offers a brittle balance, a certain sweetness, excessive maturity and an aristocratic decadence rather than a firm precision. This bottle has certainly been through better days.
Por copas. Todavía una nariz especiada y de hierbas de lavanda secas. En boca terminando con un retrogusto de chocolate amargo. Representante que ofrece un quebradizo equilibrio, cierta dulzura, excesiva madurez y una decadencia aristocrática antes que una firme precisión. Esta botella ha pasado por días mejores sin duda.
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After 60 years the port was still fruity and delicious. Slight brandy notes but otherwise really well balanced with just a hint of velvet tannin. Wonderful 60th birthday prsent
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From two different bottlings, one Quinta bottling and a Army & Navy Bottling, this showed quite well. Surpisingly similar, the two were not too sweet, delicate red berries, some floral notes and candied sugar.
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After 56 years, it is still going strong. I'd open yours up now if you are sitting on it. A lot of alcohol and dark brooding fruit notes. This is not a vibrant wine but it is a wine that has so much history on the palette. The year JFK was shot - I mean what more needs to be said? Who cares what Roy has to say about the non-Nacionals of 1963, this is pretty damn good and a real pleasure to drink.
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The Night I Gave Out My First Perfect Score(s) (Santa Monica, CA): My first Quinta do Noval, a birthyear indulgence that showed beautifully. Fresh and vibrant, with dried red fruit, a touch tart, along with mild spice some tea notes. I don't see the drinking window closing anytime soon. A touch too acidic on the finish. I have two bottles of the Nacional from 1963, but this "normale" did not disappoint.
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Poured straight from the bottle, which I was double decanting for later. Good fill, just into the neck. The cork looked in good condition, but broke up as a tried to extract it. Very pale colour as I decanted it, but as the decanter filled it deepened to something less worrying. In the glass, it's a bright, crystal clear, pale ruby red with a slight bricking at the edges. First impression on the nose is ... well ... porty. Prunes, chocolate raisins, violet perfume - very perfumed. There's even a hint of the De Kuyper's cherry brandy I remember on the nose of the 1963 Nacional when I was lucky enough to taste that 15 years ago. Oh my, oh my, oh my. What a delicious palate. Bright, almost youthful fruit , maybe tending to the red end of the spectrum, but there's a real richness and depth, and even vibrancy. Some spirit is still noticeable on the finish. Although it's very, very long, there's an ethereal lightness to the length. This is what vintage port is all about. The Nacional was one of my few 100 pointers: this isn't quite there, but is damn close.
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The fill was into the shoulder and the cork broke up, but after decanting, this showed quite well with good body, prunes and plum fruit and quite showy on the nose to my surprise. I wouldn't say it matched the best producers from this vintage, but fun since I'll likely never try the Nacional. It is absolutely near the top tier though. We had with my friend's homemade chocolates, but the magic was pairing it with a Neal's Yard Stilton I luckily saw as a rare find. They were absolutely perfect together and probably influenced my score - a bit.
Unexpected pleasure as the main label had fallen off and it took some time to work out what it was (from the 150th/250th anniversary label). Brown in colour and I had low expectations on decanting, but lovely, persistent dried fruit and floral spirit. A memorable treat.
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It has dark chocolate and raisin aromas and flavours. The fruit is rich in the mouth and everything is cut by a highly perfumed, floral spirit. It has excellent persistence.
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[IWFS-Vic DRC Montrachet, Various RSV & d'Yquem Dinner at Vue de Monde] Translucent medium garnet-russet. Mature black cherry bouquet with hints of wild strawberry, damson plum, licorice, spice & smoke, & latter, fig, raisin & date. Medium bodied, moderately deep & intense though not very concentrated, ample, loose-knit but still quite fresh, lively & holding well, despite clear signs of its entering the ever declining phase of its life. Moderately long, smooth but flagging finish.
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When I removed the foil, I found that the cork was completely saturated and slightly loose. It broke when removed, leaving a part in the bottle. I suspect the damage was recent, as what we tasted was more akin to a extremely old tawny port instead of a vintage port. The note below is a description of the wine as tasted - sadly not what was hoped but still very interesting.
The wine is clear (after decanting from the considerable sediment) and pale tawny red in colour. The nose is clean with pronounced aromas of dried cherry, dried figs, caramel, toffee, almonds and walnuts. It is fully developed. The palate is sweet with high acidity, medium (+) body, high alcohol, medium soft tannins, pronounced flavours of dried cherry, dried figs, caramel, toffee, almonds, walnuts. The finish is long.
Given the flawed nature of the bottle, impossible to give a property quality rating but it was surprisingly good.
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Spiced fruit and berry nose with elements of light dry earth and a cinnamon apple sweetness. Palate is consistent, with notes of bitter orange in the background, but not overly robust. Decanted for two hours.
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Zachy's Wine Auction - Winter 2014 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): Opened and decanted and left on the table for a number of hours so that it had some time to pull itself together. One person at the table paired it with lobster and that seemed to work well, but I just enjoyed as a nice end to a day of wine. Always amazed at how these can still taste young even 40+ years later. Nice caramel flavor and some fruit to it. Wonderful wine to finish up with.
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Minor, recent seepage, cork broke up immediately and we poured through a fine mesh filter. Decanted three hours. Opened up nicely and mellowed over about half an hour in the glass.
A lot of body to this one. Caramel, raisin, oak, and a sort of dried apple skin undertone. There is some subtlety beneath the dominating flavors that is definitely unique.
Perfect with salted caramel ice cream and vanilla cake. Was absolutely stunning when splashed over the cake. Not incredible, but very enjoyable. Ready to drink now.
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Decanted through cheesecloth. Pale red color; tastes of faded cherry, raisins, and something subtle - maybe dried roses, where others are saying cold tea. The alcohol in this was barely noticeable. Not an amazing experience, but very pleasant. This bottle was bought at auction, so it may have been affected by poor storage at some point -- another bottle from the same lot had gone far downhill.
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Despite its high shoulder/mid shoulder fill, one of the best Noval 63s I have had. Pale, but fresh and lingering,long, mellow, some complexity, a hint of mint (!), not plagued with an alcoholic finish. Even held up well the 2nd day.
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Simply sensational VP. Really great balance between all components, sweetness not perceptible, not too much of a spirity character and very good acidity keeping this wonderful example fresh. Lovely firm imprint on the finish with a jet like afterburn.
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Unfortunately a bottle brought to Dinner in NYC tonight did not show well -serviceable but I suspect suboptimal storage somewhere during it's long life.
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Color: Lighter than expected for a 1963, mostly red with some pinkish tones to it. Nose: Spirity but filled with soft and luscious fruits. The spirits calmed down with time. Palate: Honey-like texture and flavor. Soft red fruits, some strawberry and some very ripe red raspberry. Good heat, not hot but very definitely warm. Sweet spices and possibly a little bit of caramel. Fully mature and ready to drink - I don't think there's any improvement left to be had in this one. Improved over time both in the decanter and in the glass, so a 2-4 hour decant probably would have been about right. Finish: Very nice, very even. Good length though not extraordinary.
While this bottle wasn't outstanding, but it was most definitely excellent. Very easy to drink once the spirits calmed down.
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At the end of a day of eating too much grilled meat and drinking too much really good regular wine at the Ghi-man's house. This fit with the Quinta do Noval house style, at least from the 1960s through at least the late 1980s. Lighter than a top flight vintage Port. One guy suggested that it was trying to be a tawny but wasn't doing a very good job of it. At first, just after a pop and pour, it was very spirity and obviously needed time to air out. After about 40 minutes with some occasional vigorous swirling and the addition of more from a decanter which had been slightly chilled due to the heat, the spirity nose and palate went away and were replaced by a mixture of caramel and roasted nuts with a bit of undefined citrus. Maybe a tiny bit of light vanilla or a similar flavor that was hard to grab onto. The overall flavor was on the light side and the color was a translucent light brown caramel. There was some acidity to balance the sweetness and the mouth feel had none of the syrupy component that you get with a newer, high end Port. This was pleasant and enjoyable but did not have a WOW factor. Would I buy it? Not for the $150+ ticket that seems to be the lowest price on Winesearcher. I liked the 1995 Vargellas much more - with its classic Port flavors - and that barely cost me $30 at auction.
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An Unforgettable Birthday for Martin (Lucas @ Klapsons): Pinkish glow. Wonderful aromatics that one can imagine such a regal vintage aged port would smell like. Notes of sweet spiced licourice, rich plummish fruitcakes aged in apricot brandy for a long time, the aromas tingles the sensory nerves of the brain and entices with images of tastefully veiled turkish bellydancers delightfully swaying to the tune of African drum beats. Turkish delight, dried raisins, glorious (or gloria jeans) Kenyon black roast coffee, tar, licourice, dark chocolate, cassis cherries and all inter-layered to near perfection. Excellent! What a way to end a night. Good drinking now with a little pinky of spiciness showing at the finish. This is a marvellous port!
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A little murky... very pale ruby/amber. On opening, rather reticent, with dusty aromas, some hints of orange. With time: cardamon, white chocolate, cranberries. Light but intensely flavorful.
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This was an outstanding wine which Grossie purchased from the Randolph Wine Cellar store below the Tasting Room. However, I was not as impressed with this wine as many others and I did not think it matched the 1966 Warre Port I had in August 2002 in quality. The Noval had ripe blackberry, kirsch and cassis notes. The fruit was sweet but well balanced. The tannins were sweet and supple in this rich wine. Smooth finish. 93-94.
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This is what fine old Port is all about. A benchmark in my experiences with Oporto. The nose is so magnified and rich and intoxicating ... I wouldn't know where to begin with descriptors. Those mouth burning tannins have faded and the wine drinks with pure harmony ... I had 5 or 6 glasses, no friggin way I was letting this go to waste! Hell, I even slammed my last glass so we get to the Blackhawks-Sharks game in 15 minutes! Loads of mature leather and cherry with velvety tannins and a whopping minute+ lingering finish. Wine of the Year so far
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12/27/2023 - Georgewoods wrote: 95 Points
Amazing. Still masses of rich flavours and no sense of rancio
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11/29/2023 - canan wrote: 99 Points
Small x3 Vintage Port Tasting: Creamy butterscotch, walnuts and touch of orange. Very expressive and intense long aftertaste. Absolutely stunning wine!
This is just an absolutely stunning and complete glass of wine. Perfectly aged and it is certainly at its peak right now!
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11/23/2023 - Harley1199 wrote:
By the glass. Still a spicy nose and dried lavender herbs. On the palate ending with a bitter chocolate aftertaste. Representative that offers a brittle balance, a certain sweetness, excessive maturity and an aristocratic decadence rather than a firm precision. This bottle has certainly been through better days.
Por copas. Todavía una nariz especiada y de hierbas de lavanda secas. En boca terminando con un retrogusto de chocolate amargo. Representante que ofrece un quebradizo equilibrio, cierta dulzura, excesiva madurez y una decadencia aristocrática antes que una firme precisión. Esta botella ha pasado por días mejores sin duda.
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7/3/2023 - ChezGodot Likes this wine: 96 Points
After 60 years the port was still fruity and delicious. Slight brandy notes but otherwise really well balanced with just a hint of velvet tannin. Wonderful 60th birthday prsent
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5/11/2023 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
From two different bottlings, one Quinta bottling and a Army & Navy Bottling, this showed quite well. Surpisingly similar, the two were not too sweet, delicate red berries, some floral notes and candied sugar.
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12/15/2020 - hprphf wrote: 93 Points
On the mild side, honey-like aged sweetness, brown sugar, poached prune, apple spice. 92-93
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4/24/2020 - Crispin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love old port. Still magical.
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12/14/2019 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
Lutefisk and BYO: High IN fill, still tiring a bit. Complex.
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5/11/2019 - MichaelSy Likes this wine: 95 Points
After 56 years, it is still going strong. I'd open yours up now if you are sitting on it. A lot of alcohol and dark brooding fruit notes. This is not a vibrant wine but it is a wine that has so much history on the palette. The year JFK was shot - I mean what more needs to be said? Who cares what Roy has to say about the non-Nacionals of 1963, this is pretty damn good and a real pleasure to drink.
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4/7/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 93 Points
The Night I Gave Out My First Perfect Score(s) (Santa Monica, CA): My first Quinta do Noval, a birthyear indulgence that showed beautifully. Fresh and vibrant, with dried red fruit, a touch tart, along with mild spice some tea notes. I don't see the drinking window closing anytime soon. A touch too acidic on the finish. I have two bottles of the Nacional from 1963, but this "normale" did not disappoint.
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10/19/2018 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 99 Points
Poured straight from the bottle, which I was double decanting for later.
Good fill, just into the neck. The cork looked in good condition, but broke up as a tried to extract it.
Very pale colour as I decanted it, but as the decanter filled it deepened to something less worrying. In the glass, it's a bright, crystal clear, pale ruby red with a slight bricking at the edges.
First impression on the nose is ... well ... porty. Prunes, chocolate raisins, violet perfume - very perfumed. There's even a hint of the De Kuyper's cherry brandy I remember on the nose of the 1963 Nacional when I was lucky enough to taste that 15 years ago.
Oh my, oh my, oh my. What a delicious palate. Bright, almost youthful fruit , maybe tending to the red end of the spectrum, but there's a real richness and depth, and even vibrancy. Some spirit is still noticeable on the finish. Although it's very, very long, there's an ethereal lightness to the length. This is what vintage port is all about.
The Nacional was one of my few 100 pointers: this isn't quite there, but is damn close.
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2/27/2018 - LWI wrote: 95 Points
Wine Society bottling. Best so far. Incredibly youthful.
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11/30/2017 - portman63 Likes this wine: 94 Points
The fill was into the shoulder and the cork broke up, but after decanting, this showed quite well with good body, prunes and plum fruit and quite showy on the nose to my surprise. I wouldn't say it matched the best producers from this vintage, but fun since I'll likely never try the Nacional. It is absolutely near the top tier though. We had with my friend's homemade chocolates, but the magic was pairing it with a Neal's Yard Stilton I luckily saw as a rare find. They were absolutely perfect together and probably influenced my score - a bit.
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8/29/2017 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
Puligny-Montrachet: Very fine depth to the nose, intriguing, complex; long and intense, but an alcoholic finish.
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1/3/2017 - igmacfarlane Likes this wine:
Unexpected pleasure as the main label had fallen off and it took some time to work out what it was (from the 150th/250th anniversary label). Brown in colour and I had low expectations on decanting, but lovely, persistent dried fruit and floral spirit. A memorable treat.
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12/12/2016 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
It has dark chocolate and raisin aromas and flavours. The fruit is rich in the mouth and everything is cut by a highly perfumed, floral spirit. It has excellent persistence.
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12/9/2016 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
Drank at the P&G
Classic port nose with figs, dates, plumbs and Christmas cake. Smooth light palate. Lovely.
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12/6/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very enjoyable. Red ruby. Rich red fruit, light sweet spice. Some slight heat but the depth of the wine absorbs it.
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1/13/2016 - AHVinoFile wrote: 90 Points
[IWFS-Vic DRC Montrachet, Various RSV & d'Yquem Dinner at Vue de Monde] Translucent medium garnet-russet. Mature black cherry bouquet with hints of wild strawberry, damson plum, licorice, spice & smoke, & latter, fig, raisin & date. Medium bodied, moderately deep & intense though not very concentrated, ample, loose-knit but still quite fresh, lively & holding well, despite clear signs of its entering the ever declining phase of its life. Moderately long, smooth but flagging finish.
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10/3/2015 - Andrewbdc wrote: flawed
When I removed the foil, I found that the cork was completely saturated and slightly loose. It broke when removed, leaving a part in the bottle. I suspect the damage was recent, as what we tasted was more akin to a extremely old tawny port instead of a vintage port. The note below is a description of the wine as tasted - sadly not what was hoped but still very interesting.
The wine is clear (after decanting from the considerable sediment) and pale tawny red in colour.
The nose is clean with pronounced aromas of dried cherry, dried figs, caramel, toffee, almonds and walnuts. It is fully developed.
The palate is sweet with high acidity, medium (+) body, high alcohol, medium soft tannins, pronounced flavours of dried cherry, dried figs, caramel, toffee, almonds, walnuts. The finish is long.
Given the flawed nature of the bottle, impossible to give a property quality rating but it was surprisingly good.
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7/22/2015 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
Very much alive, elegant, complex.
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1/20/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Spiced fruit and berry nose with elements of light dry earth and a cinnamon apple sweetness. Palate is consistent, with notes of bitter orange in the background, but not overly robust. Decanted for two hours.
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12/5/2014 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Zachy's Wine Auction - Winter 2014 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)): Opened and decanted and left on the table for a number of hours so that it had some time to pull itself together. One person at the table paired it with lobster and that seemed to work well, but I just enjoyed as a nice end to a day of wine. Always amazed at how these can still taste young even 40+ years later. Nice caramel flavor and some fruit to it. Wonderful wine to finish up with.
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3/2/2014 - LWI wrote: flawed
Corked
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3/1/2014 - EndreS wrote: flawed
Vintage Port (Fem Bord, Trondheim): Corked
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8/17/2013 - amsuk wrote: 96 Points
Nirvana....so mellow now with faded tannins, and wonderful balance and acidity. extraordinary, color, nose and finish...
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4/13/2013 - robmillis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Minor, recent seepage, cork broke up immediately and we poured through a fine mesh filter. Decanted three hours. Opened up nicely and mellowed over about half an hour in the glass.
A lot of body to this one. Caramel, raisin, oak, and a sort of dried apple skin undertone. There is some subtlety beneath the dominating flavors that is definitely unique.
Perfect with salted caramel ice cream and vanilla cake. Was absolutely stunning when splashed over the cake. Not incredible, but very enjoyable. Ready to drink now.
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1/7/2013 - RichardP wrote: 90 Points
Decanted through cheesecloth. Pale red color; tastes of faded cherry, raisins, and something subtle - maybe dried roses, where others are saying cold tea. The alcohol in this was barely noticeable. Not an amazing experience, but very pleasant. This bottle was bought at auction, so it may have been affected by poor storage at some point -- another bottle from the same lot had gone far downhill.
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12/11/2012 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Despite its high shoulder/mid shoulder fill, one of the best Noval 63s I have had. Pale, but fresh and lingering,long, mellow, some complexity, a hint of mint (!), not plagued with an alcoholic finish. Even held up well the 2nd day.
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12/10/2012 - AJ72 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Simply sensational VP. Really great balance between all components, sweetness not perceptible, not too much of a spirity character and very good acidity keeping this wonderful example fresh. Lovely firm imprint on the finish with a jet like afterburn.
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10/18/2012 - bon vivant wrote:
Unfortunately a bottle brought to Dinner in NYC tonight did not show well -serviceable but I suspect suboptimal storage somewhere during it's long life.
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9/4/2011 - gelliott wrote: 92 Points
Color: Lighter than expected for a 1963, mostly red with some pinkish tones to it.
Nose: Spirity but filled with soft and luscious fruits. The spirits calmed down with time.
Palate: Honey-like texture and flavor. Soft red fruits, some strawberry and some very ripe red raspberry. Good heat, not hot but very definitely warm. Sweet spices and possibly a little bit of caramel. Fully mature and ready to drink - I don't think there's any improvement left to be had in this one. Improved over time both in the decanter and in the glass, so a 2-4 hour decant probably would have been about right.
Finish: Very nice, very even. Good length though not extraordinary.
While this bottle wasn't outstanding, but it was most definitely excellent. Very easy to drink once the spirits calmed down.
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7/9/2011 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 88 Points
At the end of a day of eating too much grilled meat and drinking too much really good regular wine at the Ghi-man's house. This fit with the Quinta do Noval house style, at least from the 1960s through at least the late 1980s. Lighter than a top flight vintage Port. One guy suggested that it was trying to be a tawny but wasn't doing a very good job of it. At first, just after a pop and pour, it was very spirity and obviously needed time to air out. After about 40 minutes with some occasional vigorous swirling and the addition of more from a decanter which had been slightly chilled due to the heat, the spirity nose and palate went away and were replaced by a mixture of caramel and roasted nuts with a bit of undefined citrus. Maybe a tiny bit of light vanilla or a similar flavor that was hard to grab onto. The overall flavor was on the light side and the color was a translucent light brown caramel. There was some acidity to balance the sweetness and the mouth feel had none of the syrupy component that you get with a newer, high end Port. This was pleasant and enjoyable but did not have a WOW factor. Would I buy it? Not for the $150+ ticket that seems to be the lowest price on Winesearcher. I liked the 1995 Vargellas much more - with its classic Port flavors - and that barely cost me $30 at auction.
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1/23/2010 - Alex H wrote: 92 Points
An Unforgettable Birthday for Martin (Lucas @ Klapsons): Pinkish glow. Wonderful aromatics that one can imagine such a regal vintage aged port would smell like. Notes of sweet spiced licourice, rich plummish fruitcakes aged in apricot brandy for a long time, the aromas tingles the sensory nerves of the brain and entices with images of tastefully veiled turkish bellydancers delightfully swaying to the tune of African drum beats. Turkish delight, dried raisins, glorious (or gloria jeans) Kenyon black roast coffee, tar, licourice, dark chocolate, cassis cherries and all inter-layered to near perfection. Excellent! What a way to end a night. Good drinking now with a little pinky of spiciness showing at the finish. This is a marvellous port!
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2/15/2009 - KPB wrote: 91 Points
A little murky... very pale ruby/amber. On opening, rather reticent, with dusty aromas, some hints of orange. With time: cardamon, white chocolate, cranberries. Light but intensely flavorful.
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3/15/2007 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
The Fine Wine Experience Quinta do Noval & Nacional Tasting (with Christian Seely) (Institute of Directors, London): Light and elegant, beautiful nose of cold tea, mint and eucalyptus, fully mature but perfectly healthy, touch of turkish delight, delicious if slightly drying, shows considerable depth, well-structured, fragrant and well-balanced. According to Christian Seely the best specimen of the 1963 Noval he has ever tasted.
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9/1/2006 - Wrighty wrote: 90 Points
Mark's 40th Port Dinner (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Strong dried fruits to start but faded with some cherry following. Nicely balanced but this faded through the evening and is time to drink up.
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11/11/2005 - Wrighty wrote: 93 Points
1980's Chateau Margaux night (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Red brick colour, almost tawny, beautiful strong nose. Raisins, prunes and Christmas cake (Mark - Dundee cake). Kirsch notes.
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1/3/2004 - Vino Me wrote: 94 Points
This was an outstanding wine which Grossie purchased from the Randolph Wine Cellar store below the Tasting Room. However, I was not as impressed with this wine as many others and I did not think it matched the 1966 Warre Port I had in August 2002 in quality. The Noval had ripe blackberry, kirsch and cassis notes. The fruit was sweet but well balanced. The tannins were sweet and supple in this rich wine. Smooth finish. 93-94.
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1/1/2004 - R2-D2 wrote: 96 Points
This is what fine old Port is all about. A benchmark in my experiences with Oporto. The nose is so magnified and rich and intoxicating ... I wouldn't know where to begin with descriptors. Those mouth burning tannins have faded and the wine drinks with pure harmony ... I had 5 or 6 glasses, no friggin way I was letting this go to waste! Hell, I even slammed my last glass so we get to the Blackhawks-Sharks game in 15 minutes! Loads of mature leather and cherry with velvety tannins and a whopping minute+ lingering finish. Wine of the Year so far
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