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  • Country ranking ?

    82
  • Producer ranking ?

    18
  • Decanting time

    5h
  • When to drink

    now to 2050

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The Story

Taylor’s Port is the last of the original English founding port companies to remain family owned. It has never been bought, sold or taken over. The company is run by descendants of the founders. This ensures its outlook and philosophy remains focused on the production of top quality ports.
Taylor’s were also the first to invest heavily in property in the Upper Douro. The recent acquisition of Quinta do Junco illustrates the continued commitme...

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Wine Information

1963 Vintage/ A landmark vintage and reference for many who have been lucky enough to drink the Taylor’s 1963 Vintage Port. It is surprisingly more youthful in colour than the 1960.

In 1963, a cold Winter was followed by a wet Spring. Christmas Day temperature of -4ºC was one of the lowest for many years. Apart from two periods of hot weather in July and August, the Summer was cool. The harvest started on 7th October with perfect weather, h...

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Vintage 1963

Declared by all the major Port houses, 1963 was a monumental vintage against which many others are now judged. Power, dimension and real character are all hallmarks of this most memorable vintage. And even after more than 45 years the best wines never fail to impress with their essential three components of fruit, tannin and elegance. 1963s almost always appear to be younger than they really are.

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Tasting note

color

Full

ending

Long and Flavorful

flavors

Blackberry, Raspberry, Cherry, Coffee, Cedar and Earthy

nose

Open and Complex

recommend

Yes

taste

Multi-dimensional, Complex, Rich, Full and Sweet

Written Notes

The 1963 was one of the greatest wine vintages in Portugal, unlike in France. In France it was disastrous—a summer so wet and sunless that many of the great vineyards, such as Château d'Yquem and Château Cheval Blanc, sold their entire harvest as vin ordinaire.

Fine bottle. Decanted three hours. This is what class is all about in vintage port and especially in the 1963 vintage. This sophisticated dark purple wine shows a spectacular open nose, with blackberry, espresso coffee, cedar, and cherry perfumes. Full-bodied and marvellously sweet, with intense aromas of raisin, dark chocolate, raspberry, and a hint of earthiness. Gorgeous, rich, well balanced and with soft tannins that tickle your palate on the long and hot, fruit-dominated end. Complex and very fine. A shining vintage Taylor, which compares positively with the great 1948 and the stunning 1945.

  • 96p
Leaving aside the corked Huet (and arguably the 98 Cheval), this was the only wine of the day which might be alleged to have fallen a smidge short of its lofty reputation, but these days, it does seem time to drink up this wine. Not quite what it was. Still very good, though. It was very mature with lovely rich, ripe raisiny notes. The problem is that the fruit is fading and the spirits are pushing through. All a bit too spirity and not ideal to finish. If the flavours increased a smidge, this would still be a glorious old VP but now, very good but no longer top notch.
  • 91p

Very pale ruby Lots of almost yellow broad rim. Spicy and nutty  with a hint of black pepper and very mature on the nose. Super mellow treacle. Lovely spice on the finish. Masses of ripe fruit. Kick of freshness. Really transparent but not much further to go. 

  • 93p

The 1963 Taylor's Vintage Port is lucid in colour, very well defined with wild strawberry, Clementine, leather and tobacco scents, one of the few to contain a floral element. The palate has a cashmere texture with wild strawberry, cherry and a touch of liquorice, leading to a dense and structured finish. Over several bottles encountered, the palate always seems to offer more than the aromatics. Tasted in the Factory House in Porto for "Taylor's - The Story of a Classic Port House" book.

  • 96p
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Information

Origin

Porto, Douro

Vintage Quality

Extraordinary

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

Good

Fake factory

None

Glass time

3h

Inside Information

 

 

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