1964 Quinta do Noval Colheita

[Glenn E.]

Another bottle from several small lots that I purchased during 2008 as I was stocking up on birth year Ports.

1964 Quinta do Noval Colheita
bottled in 2006

Color: A very rich and moderately dark tawny with remaining hints of red and developing brown tones.
Nose: Somewhat spirity and starting to madeirize (is that a word?). Some toffee-like notes and a good amount of oak.
Palate: Caramel, faint vanilla, and oak backed by significant heat (but in a pleasant way). After some time in glass (and several sips) some cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar can be found. There's a bit of orange rind (including the bitterness) and a note of caramelized sugar (which is more burnt in nature to me than caramel) lurking in the late palate. Excellent acidity is going to carry this Port for many, many more years. I hope it hasn't all been bottled and that in another 15 years we'll see a 60-yr old bottling... that will be an amazing Port.
Finish: Some tangy apricot and orange peel, followed by pleasant warmth and eventually some green apples. The finish is smooth and even and hints at a honey-like texture. It also goes on forever, though is fairly faint after the first minute or so.

Score: 94 points. I'm biased since it's a birth year Port, but even taking that into consideration this is excellent. It's close in my mind to the Kopke 40-yr old and Porto Rocha 150th Anniversary.

[Roy Hersh]

Always doing comparisons to your other experiences. Actually, that is developing a muscle called "wine memory retention."

It really comes in handy until you hit age 50 and by then either you've just had too many Ports to possibly remember them all, or your memory is no longer as sharp as it once was (or both). Hopefully for your sake, your memory will remain sharper than mine.

[Glenn E.]

Hopefully for your sake, your memory will remain sharper than mine.

I will be quite happy if mine is merely as sharp as yours!