Caves Messias 1963 Colheita Port: An Exquisite 60 Year Old!

For most people, the opportunities to drink a 60 year old wine are extremely limited, and it's usually for a celebratory occasion. For my birthday last week, I wanted to celebrate with a very special wine, and decided to open a bottle of the Caves Messias 1963 Colheita Port, which I had purchased four to five years ago at Bin Ends and stored away for a special occasion. 

It was an exquisite wine, complex and delicious, with so much life still within it. A great choice for my birthday celebration. 

For much of Europe, the 1963 vintage was generally considered terrible. Bordeaux, Sauternes, Burgundy, the Rhône, Piedmont, and Tuscany all suffered, while wines in Spain and Germany were generally average at best. However, an exception was Port, where 1963 was considered a legendary vintage! So, if you want to purchase a wine from 1963, one of your best options would be Port. 

Caves Messias was founded in 1926 by Messias Baptista, and his descendants still manage the company. The company produces a wide range of wine (from Sparkling to Port) from many different regions of Portugal. The company is also based at Mealhada, a small city in central Portugal, in the Bairrada region. In the Douro Valley, they own about 110 hectares of vineyards, and produce a wide range of Port products, including White, Tawny, Ruby and Rosé, 10-40 Year Old Ports, LBV, Vintage and Colheita.   

I should note that this 1963 Port is not a Vintage Port, but rather a Colheita. The term "colheita" roughly translates as "harvest" or "vintage," however it's also a specific category of Port. In short, it's a Tawny Port, with a vintage date, and which has been aged in the barrel for at least seven years, although it can be aged for much longer. 

A Vintage Port must be from an excellent "declared" vintage, so Vintage Port cannot be produced every year. For example, during the 1960s, only 1960, 1963 and 1967 were declared as Vintage years. On the other hand, Colheita Port can be made in any vintage. Vintage Port is also usually aged for only about 2 years in the barrel, and then will continue to age in the bottle. When you purchase a Vintage Port, it's commonly recommend that you wait at least 10 years or more before you should drink it. However, Colheita Port can be drank anytime after it has been released. No need to store it in your cellar before drinking it. Vintage Ports seem to get the most publicity, but Colheita Ports definitely are worthy of much more attention.

The Caves Messias 1963 Colheita Port currently sells for an average price of $392, although I paid less than 50% of that price several years ago. It's the type of wine which will continue to appreciate in value each year. Although the price seems high, consider that the wine is 60 years old and from an exceptional vintage. Plus, only 3,000 bottles of this wine, a tiny amount, were produced! And compared to many other wines of similar characteristics, including age and vintage quality, you could easily pay two to three times that amount. 

This 1963 Colheita, with a 20% ABV, was a field blend of Portuguese grapes, including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, and Tinta Barroca. It was aged for 50 years in the barrel, having been bottled only in 2013. It doesn't require decanting as it has been filtered so there's no sediment. It's also recommend that you serve it at about 48-57 degrees Fahrenheit, so it should be chilled before serving. 

If you examine the photo at the top of this page, you'll see a strange glass next to the bottle. That's a Port Sipper, whose history may extend back to the early 18th century, if not earlier. It's also known as a Sipping Pipe, and the first ones were made of ceramic. Nowadays, they are made of glass or crystal. The thin, hollow pipe is used as a straw, allowing you to drink the Port from the bottom of the glass, where oxygen isn't able to reach, preventing oxidation. I bought some of these Port Sippers a few months ago, but they aren't necessary to drink Port. I also haven't used them enough to compare the differences between them and a typical wine glass. 

What did I think of this Port?

With a light, tawny color, I was first entranced with its alluring and complex nose, such a variety of intriguing aromas emanating from my glass. And on the palate, there was also a complex melange of flavors, enticing and tantalizing my palate. As I first tasted this Port, I was surprised by its fresh, bright flavors, youthful signs in such an old wine. This was definitely a wine which could age beautifully for many more years. 

As I sipped more, I was impressed by its depth of flavor and concentration, with touches of caramel, almonds, spice, dried fruit, and much more. Each sip brought something new, even if subtle, to my mouth. It was a delight to slowly sip this Port, savoring the evolving flavors. It also possessed a fine acidity, balancing its soft sweetness, and a silky smooth mouthfeel, ending with a long, lingering and satisfying finish. Just an exquisite Port, and words cannot do it justice. It's something meant to be experienced and enjoyed, elusive of capturing that experience in words. 

I enjoyed this Port with some blue cheese, one of my favorite Port pairings. And as I didn't finish the bottle on my birthday, I've been savoring it over the course of the past week. I only wish I had bought another bottle of it those years ago. This Port certainly made my birthday even more special. 

Drink more Port!