Simon Field | Murky color at first, garnet going on clay; sepia seeping, calm at the rim. The nose is evolved, gamey, truffles and white chocolate, Autumn evenings in a Poussin painting, the drama waiting to unfurl. Dark cherry, hints of caramel and boysenberry, the dramatis personae lined up gracefully; half a century has not dulled the excitement or the potential to enthral and captivate; the spirit is poised and beautifully discreet, the fruit tertiary by all means, but almost alarmingly fresh. A celebration of a great year, its pedigree writ into its fabric, its luster undiminished. | 96

Andrew Jefford | This is the deepest of the first bracket of four 1963s: it’s hard to say there is much red left in the dark oxblood hue... But it is dark, though obviously translucent rather than opaque. Little russet and no orange in the color here, so for a ’63, it looks serious! Aromatically, by contrast, it is the most disappointing and muddled of the first bracket, though this may be a bottle issue, and indeed it may need more air: I will check in 10 minutes. But when first sniffed, there is some grubbiness and murk over sweet, slightly jammy fruits. That murk in fact clears in the way of bottle stink, leaving a brooding but rather reserved Vintage Port with red fruits (notably plum) and dried fruits, too (raisin and fig). Very serene and no aromatic spirit separation—but not the most diverting of the ’63s in aromatic terms. There’s plenty of wealth and warmth on the palate, with dried fruit and chocolate flavors and the usual generous ’63 glycerous unction. For me, the spirit is just beginning to tiptoe into the finish, but this is still a privilege to drink and overall must be regarded as being in fine fettle. Generous and chocolaty are perhaps the notes to hang on to here; licorice after you’ve swallowed. | 90

Richard Mayson | Relatively deep in color for a wine of this age, mid-deep center, thin tawny rim; fine, ripe heady fruit on the nose, a touch of medicinal cherry; similarly ripe, sweet, and still minty in its ripeness on the palate, lovely bitter-sweet concentration mid-palate, there’s some orange- marmalade fruit backed by solid tannins, which still grip on the finish. Long and lithe, with freshness and verve on the finish that goes on and on. | 97