1966 Croft

[RAYC]

To celebrate my 43rd birthday, I opened up my penultimate BBR-bottled 1966 Croft (from same small lot as this bottle consumed in 2011, purchased directly from BBR). For comparison, a different English-bottled Croft 66 was consumed the following night - link to TN.

Uncorked @8am, decanted @ 2pm, re-bottled @ 5pm and consumed between 6.30pm and 9.00pm. (albeit a glass and a half disappeared before 6.30 by way of quality assurance....)

Colour a beautiful mature red, 30-40% opaque. Wonderfully delicate and fragrant sweet strawberries on the nose (which in a blind tasting I'm sure would have led me to guess Warre), super fresh. Superb in the mouth - sweet red fruit with great balancing acidity, long finish with pleasant heat and tingly aftertaste. Delicious and more-ish, but a more feminine expression of Croft 66 than the other bottle of Croft 66 tasted the day after. If I'm picking holes, a slight mid-palate void led me to prefer the other bottle marginally (though that really is being picky).

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 before 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 do like BBR bottlings 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. But I also like English-bottled ports with no labels and paint marks! (and much gratitude to THRA for so generously sharing his auction stash of those at cost between a few of us back in the day, even after tasting how good they were!)
[*] I should not be so scared of over-decanting. No degradation of this bottle by the time it was finished at 9pm. And the other bottle sat double-decanted at cellar temp for 24 hours and did not suffer for that.

[RAYC]

Pics...

[winesecretary]

Cracking cork on that…