1966 Croft

[RAYC]

To celebrate my 43rd birthday, I opened up two bottles of Croft 1966 (consumed consecutive nights after birthday dinner had to be rescheduled last minute). Link to TN for other bottle

This was a fantastic English bottling with no label, paint marks and the dreaded (but seemingly effective) rubber capsule. From the same lot as this bottle consumed in 2012, originally auction-acquired by THRA and then very generously allocated at cost amongst a few TPF members back in the day (despite knowing how good it was!).

Uncorked @ 4pm the day before, double decanted @ 5.30pm the day before, and consumed 24 hours later.

Colour a strong Smith-Woodhouse-esque dark red, 50% opaque. Powerful and intense nose - great red fruits but can tell it's a big but adequately mature wine (reminiscent of the best 55s and 63s I've had). Big, muscular and powerful in the mouth, still great red fruit but with classic "big port" secondary / tertiary characteristics. Would be guessing a big 50s / 60s / 70s -vintage Fonseca. Everything in balance - more exciting but perhaps less refined than the BBR-bottled Croft 66 consumed the previous day. Marginally preferred by me to that bottle, my partner went the other way.

Observations from drinking both bottles:

[*] Croft 66 is a top echelon port that will live on and on (in good condition). And a port to convert people - the sommeliers at the restaurants both nights were astounded by their glasses.
[*] Tasted the night after an equally good but vastly different bottle of Croft 1966, I would be amazed if anyone had picked them out as the same port in a side by side. My partner was amazed that they could be the same port, and a good reminder for me re how differently they can develop at this age (different bottlers using different pipes, storage conditions over 55 years etc.)
[*] I get really excited by English-bottled ports with no labels and paint marks (and much gratitude to THRA for so generously sharing his auction stash of these). But I also like I do like BBR bottlings with the classic labels, and will happily pay a premium to purchase those direct from BBR on the occasions they turn up. Corks in particular always seem to be top notch.
[*] I should not be so scared of over-decanting. This bottle sat double-decanted at cellar temp for 24 hours and did not suffer for that.

[RAYC]

Curse of the rubber capsule....

Somewhere on here there's a thread with recommendations about how to open these without cutting yourself / agitating the wine. I need to re-find that!