Twenty Century seventh Decade -> Bar do Binho

Balanced, Sweet Elegant, Peaked Very Good (87)

Years ago, many vintage Port experts said that 1960 vintage Ports were light and quickmaturing, but many are still excellent to drink. Many reached their peak in the early 1980s and have remained on a plateau ever since. It would be wise, however, to drink them at this point because it is doubtful any will improve age. The best of the 1960s, such as Croft, Dow and Wiese & Krohn, are excellent examples of the delicacy and richness a fine vintage Port offers at the peak of Its evolution. They are a joy to drink.

Some of the 1960s evolved slightly more quickly due to rain halfway through the harvest. The growing season was average by all accounts until the late summer, when it became exceedingly hot. The heat carried through to late September, but then rain and cold weather arrived. Some growers did not get all of their crop in before the rains, though most made good vintage Ports.

Very Ripe, Roasted flavours Good (80)

Portugal, like most of Europe, was very dry and hot for most of the year, so the vintage produced some very ripe, sweet wines with plenty of fruit and tannin. Quantities were small, and almost none of the houses wanted to declare, since there was a general declaration in 1960. Wiese & Krohn declared about 10 pipes'worth, while other houses made single Quinta or second label wines. The few 1961s I tasted in 1990 were drinking very well. Some, such as the Fonseca Guimaraens, should improve for another four or five years before reaching their peak. Quinta de Vargellas, however, is extremely disappointing vintage, with very hight levels of volatile acidity.

Copious Fruit, Extremely Ageworthy Classic (98)

The 1963 vintage needs no introduction. It lives up to its superlative reputation in every way. A nearly complete failure in most European wines regions, 1963 produced vintage Ports with monumental concentrations of ripe fruit and perfectly integrated tannins. The best are Rubenesque - rich, round, luscious creatures that are irresistibly ageless. At nearly 30 years old, almost all of the 1963s I tasted in 1990 were still in perfect drinking condition and showed few signs of decline.

The winter was average, cold spells and rain. Spring was much cooler and wetter than normal, though the weather during the flowering was good and ensured a proper berry set. The summer was mostly dry, with long warm days. September was perfect for harvesting, with hot days and cool nights. It is difficult to pinpoint just what made 1963 great, but why question nature when the results are so stupendous?

There are truly some astounding Ports in this vintage. The Quinta do Noval Nacional is out of this world, with layers of ripe grapy flavours and tons of tannins. I once tasted it with a Port shipper who thought it was a barrel sample of a wine'nearly 20 years younger. The Fonseca, Graham, Taylor and Sandeman are almost as impressive, but are more earthly in their rich, ripe fruit flavours and perfectly knit tannins. With the exception of Noval's regular bottling, almost all the major shippers made beguiling wines. The Noval 1963 is good but slightly disappointing, since it had already reached its peak in the mid-1980s. One does not have to stick to the big names, however, to find success. Houses like Delaforce, Niepoort, Smith Woodhouse and many others made excellent wines in 1963, Reviewing 26 different 1963s, I gave at least 80 points to all but one. Five scored more than 95 points.

Rich, Focused Fruit, Tiny Prodution Good (80)

I know of only one house that declared 1965, Wiese & Krohn, and it made a very good wine. Fonseca-Guimaraens made the wine of the vintage, however. The 1965s have a surprising amount of detectable fruit and a silky mouth-feel. Few shippers discuss the 1965 vintage, however, apparently because quantities of very good wines were limited; possibly only one or two dozen pipes were available.

Iron Backbone, Fresh Flavours Outstanding (93)

There has always been a debate among Port aficionados as to whether 1963 or 1966 is better. Some believe 1966 is superior, though this may have more do to with the fact that 1966s sell for about half the price of 1963s. Although most 1966s are wonderful I prefer the 1963 with little hesitation. Nonetheless it is easy to understand why some people are impressed with the 1966s. They are solid and well built, with superb proportions of tannins fruit and acidity. The best are classic vintage Ports.

The growing season was very good in one sense - there was very little rain. The winter was normal, with some showers, but there was no rain from April to September,and drought conditions arose during the summer, reducing yields. Some of the vines could not nourish their fruit properly, and most of the key vineyards had vines with very small berries. Some of the fruit was burned and shriveled by the sun. The harvest started in the third week of September. Rain finally arrived a few days after the harvest started, but it had little effect on the quality of the grapes. The overall harvest was small, and the berries were small and rich in tannins.

The best wines from 1966 are those from the highly reputed houses, though Niepoort and Offley also made excellent wines. The stars are clearly Noval Nacional and Fonseca. They are massive wines with a bounty of ripe fruit and hard tannins. For maximum enjoyment, I thought they needed another five years of bottle age when I tasted them in late 1989. They will age for many more decades. The Graham, Sandeman, Cockburn, Noval and Croft are also outstanding. Especially noteworthy in this group is the 1966 Quinta do Noval, which is much better than the Noval 1963, and probably the best Noval since 1955.

Focused Fruit, Angular Very Good (88)

When Cockburn decided to declare the 1967 vintage instead of the excellent 1966, some of its employees claimed it would prove to be as great as the Legendary 1927. The handful of other houses that declared also were very keen on the vintage. While Cockburn 1967, certainly a very good wine, will never live up to the quality of its superb 1927, some of the other 1967 may. What strikes one about a good 1967 is its firm structure and elegant fruit. It reminds me of a fine claret.

All of the 1967s I have tasted over the years were drinking very well, and most will easily improve into the next century. The weather was difficult for much of the growing season. The winter was extremely cold, with temperatures often dropping below zero. A cool and sometimes wet spring led to a poor flowering, and growers expected a small harvest. The summer was hot and there were many thunderstorms, notably near the beginning of the harvest. The picking however, proceeded under good conditions.

Besides Noval Nacional, the best wines of the vintage are not very popular in most other years. Rebello Valente and Martinez are both impressive, powerful wines with plenty of fruit and tannins. Other great wines such as Sandeman and Fonseca-Guimaraens were very tannic and could have used a few more years of bottle age when I tasted them in 1990. In fact,these two wines are nearly as good as their 1966s - and generally less expensive.