For The Love Of Port

from after the 2010 Port Harvest Tour
tasted on a sunny afternoon at the Pestana Porto

1963 Romariz Colheita

Color: Medium tawny with plenty of red, especially for an old Colheita.
Nose: nothing noted due to a mild head cold
Palate: A bit hot, plenty of citrus, good acidity. Lots of apricot and some caramel.
Finish: Some apple late. Slightly dry, clean start. Some heat.

Score: not rated due to head cold

Thanks for your note. TI bought a bottle of the 1963 after trying it at the Port Wine Institute tasting room in Lisbon this summer. Definitely recall the apricot and caramel and that it was redder than one would expect for such an old colheita. Didn't remember the heat at all, but I don't know how long the bottle that I tasted from was open. For me, this was the Port that had me hooked.

My bottle is sitting at home and waiting for an anniversary or something special.

It's possible that the impression of heat was a product of my mild head cold, which is part of the reason that I didn't post a rating. I also don't know how long this bottle had been open, and that can also affect the impression of heat in older tawnies. I've had this before, though, and I'd say it's normally a 93-94 point Port.

Post a note when you open your bottle - it'd be nice to see how a freshly opened one shows!