1963 Warre Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

FTLOP 4th Anniversary party
Holiday Inn, Issaquah, July 30th 2009

1. 1937 Warre Reserve Tawny (Colheita) bottled 1997
2. 1963 Niepoort Colheita bottled 1986
3. 1966 Porto Rocha Colheita bottled 1997
4. 1968 Quevedo Garrafeira Particular (Colheita) bottled 1999
5. 1963 Croft Vintage Port
6. 1963 Warre Vintage Port
7. 1966 Dow Vintage Port
8. 1967 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port

1963 Warre Vintage Port

Color: Brilliant ruby, ever so slightly darker than the Croft. Almost as pleasing as the 1937 Warre, but not quite.
Nose: Cherry cough syrup, tar?, asphalt?, mild eucalyptus and something else herbal. Pleather? Diesel? As you can tell, there were numerous petroleum-based notes on the nose and I had a difficult time figuring out exactly what I was smelling.
Palate: Big heat, but not as hot as the Croft. Polyurethane. Middling fruits, mostly red in nature. Still has a little bit of grip left. Something mildly herbal.
Finish: More cough syrup, some heat, and a bit bitter. Decent length.

Score: 88 points. The cough syrup and petroleum both hurt the score, but they weren't obnoxious. Had they been as bad as the notes sound I'd have been in the 70s point-wise, but it was possible to sort of taste around them and enjoy a pretty nice core. The Warre also changed quite a bit over time with both of the negative attributes mellowing. It's possible that this would be very nice after 10-12 more hours in a decanter.

[Glenn E.]

[Roy Hersh]

A VERY weird showing ... not your typical 1963 Warre, nowhere as good as the one from the Gala.

[Andy Velebil]

A VERY weird showing ... not your typical 1963 Warre, nowhere as good as the one from the Gala.

Bummer, the one from the Gala was a very good showing.