Subtle, Sweet, Soft             Very Good (86)
Most of the 1950s have seen better days. When I tasted a few of them with a Port shipper in late 1989, he said that they were no longer vintage Ports but more like aged tawnies. Most would have been better ill the early 1980s, though some, such as the Sandeman, Dow and Quinta do Noval, were still lovely in 1990. They may not impress one with gobs of fresh fruit and firm tannins, but they are pleasantly fruity, with a soft, caressing mouth-feel. The Noval Nacional, on the other hand, is still a vigorous, full-bodied vintage Port with plenty of fresh, sweet plum flavours and a long finish. Nacional is the exception in 1950, but the year more than lives up to is reputation as a light and useful vintage.
Fruity, Simple, Sweet                 Good (80)
There are few 1952's available. I have tasted only Graham's Malvedos, and in 1989 It was still holding on, with lovely, silky, mature fruit flavours. Kopke and Mackenzie also declared the vintage.
Fragrant, Balanced, Fresh     Very Good (85)
1 have tasted only one 1954, the Graham, so it is hard to generalize, but the vintage has a good reputation among shippers. Burmester, Mackenzie and Offley Forrester declared small lots of vintage wines. The Graham's is impressive, with a wonderful balance of fresh fruit and medium tannin. Apparently Graham sold part of its vintage declaration to the Bristol, England, wine merchant John Harvey & Sons, which bottled and sold it as Harveys 1954. This wine also has a very good reputation among Port collectors in Britain.
Harmonious, Fruity, Solid     Outstanding (94)
The 1955s are complete vintage Ports with wonderfully balanced proportions of mature, rich fruit flavours and mellow, firm tannins. They are superbly balanced. When the vintage was declared in 1957, the Port trade was in the doldrums. Shippers could not give their wines away. This difficulty was the result of a generally depressed wine market in the United Kingdom, and had nothing to do wich the quality of the vintage. Most 1955s were drinking beautifully in 1989, and they seemed to have long lives ahead of them. They were on a plateau in their evolution, and I estimate they should remain there into the next century.

The 1955 growing season was apparently an excellent year in nearly every way, although the temperatures were slightly above average for most of the spring and late summer - two crucial periods for the vines. The clear, warm weather held out for the harvest. The four best wines of the vintage are Niepoort, Fonseca, Graham and Sandeman. Niepoort is the great surprise in the group, and is truly a blockbuster. It showed masses of fruit when I tasted It in early 1990, and seemed almost ageless. The other three leaders were not far behind.
Angular, Tannic, Lively          Very Good (85)
Although I have only tasted three 1957 vintage Ports, I have been impressed with their quality. Only Mackenzie, Wiese & Krohn and Butler & Nephew declared. I have tasted the Wiese & Krohn and was impressed by its firm structure and fresh fruit. Although they did not declare the vintage, Dow and Sandeman made a few pipes of 1957, which were sold to a selected number of United Kingdom merchants; the Sandeman was excellent when I drank it in late 1988. Any of the 1957s will be hard to find due to their very limited production.
Fragrant, Fragile, Fruity            Good (84)
Apparently 1958 was a mild and sometimes wet year, as in most of Europe; nonetheless, some very useful vintage Ports were made. More than a dozen houses declared the vintage, and those that did not would have if not for the vintage's proximity to the generally declared 1955. All the 1958s I tasted in late 1989 were on a slow decline, even though they were very enjoyable  wines. They should be drunk as soon as possible, although some, such as the Fonseca-Guimaraens and Wiese & Krohn should hold on for a few years. The leading vintage Port shippers who declared 1958 include Noval Sandeman and Warre. Cockburn made two or three pipes for the private consumption of its owners.