What Port(s) have you purchased this week?

[Thomas V]

Welcome to the club

There is plenty of Vesuvio in the cellar, but I've scaled back my buying of young VP since the 2011s came out. This was a 6-pack for sale at auction at half the price of what I paid for 2011 Quinta do Vesuvio, so I couldn't pass that up.

I knew you are a fan of Vesuvio like myself. I don't have so much cellared to be honest. Just a case of the 1997 and 2015 vintages. The thing is that as Symington took over and made their first VP with the house in 1989 there isn't really much mature Vesuvio a part for exactly the 1989 which is quite developed and full of Douro bake and preserved fruit. Else you need to be really lucky and find earlier VPs from Pre-Symington.

I agree on your point on buying younger VP and even with my, for this forum, younger age of 39 I need to keep it in mind. As I prefer to drink my VPs from top producers from around the 35 year mark and older I wont be touching the 2015's until 2050. At which point I will be 69 years old. So really I shouldn't buy anything older than 2011 vintage for my own drinking. For my son it is an entirely different discussion which is why I got him a case of 2018, his birth year .

[John M.]

1 Magnum x 1977 Smith Woodhouse

[Moses Botbol]

1 Magnum x 1977 Smith Woodhouse

Wow, that should be fun.

[John M.]

1 Magnum x 1977 Smith Woodhouse

Wow, that should be fun.

Thanks!...I had some of this in the past year or so. Seemed like it had a ways to go....maybe 2027.

[Eric Menchen]

1x 2011 Quinta do Vesúvio Capela

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[Mike J. W.]

1x 2011 Quinta do Vesúvio Capela

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Very nice! I saw a 3 pack of this in my travels yesterday. Next time I'm in that store I'll have to see what they're asking for it. Big $$$ I'm sure.

[Eric Ifune]

Some 2016 Quinta do Vale Meao VP.

[John M.]

Received as a gift a 1980 Gould Campbell! Very thoughtful and awesome bottle. I had 6 and had none left so was thrilled to get one more.

[Glenn E.]

1x 2011 Quinta do Vesúvio Capela

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Very nice! I saw a 3 pack of this in my travels yesterday. Next time I'm in that store I'll have to see what they're asking for it. Big $$$ I'm sure.

Vesúvio Capela usually isn't as expensive as Graham's Stone Terraces or Vargellas Vinha Velha, so I would expect them to be around $150 each.

[David Spriggs]

Received as a gift a 1980 Gould Campbell! Very thoughtful and awesome bottle. I had 6 and had none left so was thrilled to get one more.

Awesome! I love that Port!

[Glenn E.]

3 x 1994 Vesuvio VP @ $60 ea
3 x 1985 Smith Woodhouse VP @ $50 ea

I have a few more bids at auctions coming due soon, so may have more to report in the near future...

[John M.]

3 x 1994 Vesuvio VP @ $60 ea
3 x 1985 Smith Woodhouse VP @ $50 ea

I have a few more bids at auctions coming due soon, so may have more to report in the near future...

That's a nice set at nice prices!!

[Gerwin de Graaf]

In the last couple of weeks I took delivery of some nice things.

A nice order from Quevedo came in , with, besides some dry wines, as highlights:
- 20 YO Tawny,
- 40 YO Tawny
- 50 YO "very old white" (Celebrational Port)

And today I received some bottles of the Casa de Santa Eufemia Special Reserve White Port (30 yo).
I wonder if this is still, in fact, the 1973 Colheita in the bottle. The bottles have a (hand written) bottling date (year only) of 2010. I sent a message with pictures to the producer to ask if they can give me some information.

The reason I went for this is the possiblity that it is still the 1973 vintage (my birthyear , and the fact that is was priced very reasonable, with a 30% discount (from 3 bottles or more).

[Glenn E.]

And today I received some bottles of the Casa de Santa Eufemia Special Reserve White Port (30 yo).
I wonder if this is still, in fact, the 1973 Colheita in the bottle. The bottles have a (hand written) bottling date (year only) of 2010. I sent a message with pictures to the producer to ask if they can give me some information.

The 1973 was bottled as the Special Reserve White several times, for sure in 2008 (I have a bottle) and at least one later year. I also have bottles from the later year, but there's nothing on the label of mine to indicate what that year might be.

The 2008 (and potentially earlier, if they exist) bottles have a flared base that makes them look rather distinctive. The later bottles do not have a flared base and look like normal Port bottles.

Does your 2010 have a flared base, or is a normal Port bottle?

[Glenn E.]

3 x 1994 Vesuvio VP @ $60 ea
3 x 1985 Smith Woodhouse VP @ $50 ea

I have a few more bids at auctions coming due soon, so may have more to report in the near future...

That's a nice set at nice prices!!

I failed to get 6 x 1985 Croft, but still have another bid outstanding. And I just placed a bid on a different lot of 3 x 1985 Croft...

[Gerwin de Graaf]

Does your 2010 have a flared base, or is a normal Port bottle?

They are normal Port bottles.

[Glenn E.]

Does your 2010 have a flared base, or is a normal Port bottle?

They are normal Port bottles.

Interesting. That's the bottle from my "later" bottles, but the back label from my 2008 bottle. My guess is that maybe my "later" bottles were bottled for the USA (since the label includes the importer's information), whereas my 2008 and your 2010 were bottled for Europe?

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[Al B.]

3 x 1994 Vesuvio VP @ $60 ea
3 x 1985 Smith Woodhouse VP @ $50 ea

I have a few more bids at auctions coming due soon, so may have more to report in the near future...

That's a nice set at nice prices!!

I failed to get 6 x 1985 Croft, but still have another bid outstanding. And I just placed a bid on a different lot of 3 x 1985 Croft...

I have had consistently poor luck with opening bottles of Croft 1985. They seem to suffer particularly badly from the VA problems which affected some producers that vintage.

[Gerwin de Graaf]

Does your 2010 have a flared base, or is a normal Port bottle?

They are normal Port bottles.

Interesting. That's the bottle from my "later" bottles, but the back label from my 2008 bottle. My guess is that maybe my "later" bottles were bottled for the USA (since the label includes the importer's information), whereas my 2008 and your 2010 were bottled for Europe?

Interesting indeed. I think you are probably right regarding the backlabel with the importer's information. And perhaps they ran out of flared bottles after the first bottling (on their website it still is a picture of the flared bottle). I will patiently await the reply from the producer regarding my enquiry.

[Andy Velebil]

They are normal Port bottles.

Interesting. That's the bottle from my "later" bottles, but the back label from my 2008 bottle. My guess is that maybe my "later" bottles were bottled for the USA (since the label includes the importer's information), whereas my 2008 and your 2010 were bottled for Europe?

Interesting indeed. I think you are probably right regarding the backlabel with the importer's information. And perhaps they ran out of flared bottles after the first bottling (on their website it still is a picture of the flared bottle). I will patiently await the reply from the producer regarding my enquiry.

Are the two bottles the same diameter on the bottom? I ask as sometimes retailers/importers don't want odd shaped bottles for wine as they don't fit on the standard shelves. I know this was an issue when Graham's switched to their new clear bottles. Initially, they only imported to the states the 20/30/40 in the wider clear bottles. The 10 year remained the old bottle here in the States as retailers didn't want the wider one. That didn't last long, maybe a couple years at most, then they forced the switch.