1888, $4000 per bottle

[Eric Menchen]

BPW
Quinta do Vallado ABF Very Old Port -- 1888 
$4000.00!

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[Andy Velebil]

I'll take a case.

[Glenn E.]

Target market: Chinese investment bankers.

[Andy Velebil]

Target market: Chinese investment bankers.

Actually, no market. Price it high enough and you'll still sell a little to those with lots of disposable income. But in reality these are what I call "Showboat wines". That is, they are something not really earmarked to sell much but they give a lot of publicity and bragging rights to a given company and those that can afford to buy them. It's like older Bordeaux and Burgundy, you can brag you paid a shit ton for it and have something few others do. The only saving grace is that Port buyers tend to drink Port like these and not buy them to flip like BDX and Burg buyers do. Which in reality, these don't, or haven't so far, appreciated significantly in price so there is no real investment to them yet.

[Eric Menchen]

And Vallado doesn't have the name recognition of something like Taylor (Scion). So I think Andy is closer to the truth here. Perhaps they are hoping to get some press and attention to get their name out there.

[Al B.]

I'm pleased to see wines like this on the market. The producers won't sell very much but will likely sell a few bottles and will get a nice lump of cash for Christmas. Not much will get sold so the quality of the aged tawny blends which use a tiny drop of the wine from this barrel won't get compromised. Everybody's happy.

I've often thought that if I had a really, really rare bottle of port or wine I would want to drink it - but at the same time I would have to face reality and think that if someone offered me £2 million for my last bottle of Quinta do Noval Nacional 1927 I would have to accept because that sort of money would give me and my family financial security for a generation. If Vallado have a pipe of this old port maybe their taking the same approach and saying that they are willing to trade their financial security for the next few years in exchange for a pipe of 1888 blending stock.

(While 1927 Nacional is rumoured to exist and was once seen at auction in London, the only slight flaw in my personal plan above is that I don't own any so please don't anyone offer to buy a bottle from me.)

[Eric Ifune]

I know the San Leonardo "100" is popular in Southern California Chinese markets. Buyers take them back to mainland China.

[Glenn E.]

I have 2 of those, Eric. Maybe I should bring them to Andy's and auction them off!

[Roy Hersh]

Hi Alex,

While there are many mistakes made in wine auction catalogues in London and elsewhere as you well know, and I have heard the rumor about there being a 1927 Nacional and a FTLOP'er once mentioned that he's heard it from a reliable source, (which could really only be one of these people: Michael Broadbent or less likely his son; Antonio Agrellos, Christian Seely or Cristiano van Zeller). While it is certainly possible it may have been included in an auction catalogue ... has anyone actually seen this bottle that was able to verify its existence? Alex, if you don't want to name a source, then by all means please don't. But is this something that you know has really existed, or is this just another possible Port myth?

[Al B.]

My money is on this just being a port myth. The one reference I've seen was in an old Christie's catalogue and I believe it was probably an error by the auction house. A pity, but I don't think it exists.