Produced by Croft, one of the oldest and most distinguished names in Port, the 1963 Vintage Port comes from a house whose history dates back to 1588, making it the oldest continuously operating Port producer. Acquired by the Fladgate Partnership in 2001, Croft has long been celebrated for producing Vintage Ports that combine richness with remarkable elegance and perfume. The wine is sourced from the estate’s finest vineyards in Portugal’s Douro Valley, including the renowned Quinta da Roêda, where steep terraced vineyards planted on schist soils force the vines deep into the bedrock in search of water and nutrients. The hot, dry Douro climate produces grapes of exceptional concentration, while the unique geology imparts the structure and minerality that enable the finest Vintage Ports to age for generations.
Declared as one of the greatest Port vintages of the twentieth century, Croft Vintage Port 1963 has become a benchmark for mature Vintage Port and remains one of the house’s most celebrated wines. Produced from a traditional field blend of indigenous Douro varieties—including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão—the wine was foot-trodden in granite lagares before ageing for around two years in large oak vats prior to bottling, where it has spent more than six decades maturing. Today, it displays extraordinary complexity, with aromas of dried black fruits, fig, date, orange peel and black cherry intertwined with notes of walnut, cedar, cigar box, leather, cocoa, exotic spices and lifted floral nuances. Despite its age, the palate retains remarkable vitality, supported by fine acidity and silky, fully resolved tannins that carry through an exceptionally long, harmonious finish. At over sixty years old, Croft 1963 is at a magnificent stage of maturity, offering one of the great drinking experiences in the world of fine wine while still possessing the balance to continue rewarding careful cellaring.