What Port(s) have you purchased this week?

[Roy Hersh]

1955 Sandeman Vintage Port
1960 Sandeman Vintage Port

[Mike J. W.]

12 x 1977 Dolamore Crusted Port won at auction for $12.75 per bottle.

All I know is that Dolamore was a wine merchant in the UK that went out of business in the 1980's (per a post I read on the other Port forum). I don't know who the producer was that bottled this Port for them nor do I know the years that were included in the blend. Hopefully when I pick up the bottles there'll be a little more info on them. I'm sharing some of the bottles with John M. and Lucas from this forum.

[Andy Velebil]

12 x 1977 Dolamore Crusted Port won at auction for $12.75 per bottle.

All I know is that Dolamore was a wine merchant in the UK that went out of business in the 1980's (per a post I read on the other Port forum). I don't know who the producer was that bottled this Port for them nor do I know the years that were included in the blend. Hopefully when I pick up the bottles there'll be a little more info on them. I'm sharing some of the bottles with John M. and Lucas from this forum.

That’s about as odd a lot as one can get. And a good price on a “flyer”. Curious how they are when you get them and open one.

[Mike J. W.]

12 x 1977 Dolamore Crusted Port won at auction for $12.75 per bottle.

All I know is that Dolamore was a wine merchant in the UK that went out of business in the 1980's (per a post I read on the other Port forum). I don't know who the producer was that bottled this Port for them nor do I know the years that were included in the blend. Hopefully when I pick up the bottles there'll be a little more info on them. I'm sharing some of the bottles with John M. and Lucas from this forum.

That’s about as odd a lot as one can get. And a good price on a “flyer”. Curious how they are when you get them and open one.

I should have them in about 2 to 3 weeks. I'm definitely going to open one right away and I will post my thoughts on it.

[Glenn E.]

12 x 1977 Dolamore Crusted Port won at auction for $12.75 per bottle.

All I know is that Dolamore was a wine merchant in the UK that went out of business in the 1980's (per a post I read on the other Port forum). I don't know who the producer was that bottled this Port for them nor do I know the years that were included in the blend. Hopefully when I pick up the bottles there'll be a little more info on them. I'm sharing some of the bottles with John M. and Lucas from this forum.

That’s about as odd a lot as one can get. And a good price on a “flyer”. Curious how they are when you get them and open one.

I should have them in about 2 to 3 weeks. I'm definitely going to open one right away and I will post my thoughts on it.

Beware of travel shock. Depending on how far (and how) they're being shipped, it could take a month for them to show well after shipping. Usually a week will do it, though.

[Lucas S]

I can't remember what bottle it was but it was from WineBid, but I opened one after only a month sitting after being shipped, and it was super cloudy. It might have been the Port but I couldn't help but make the connection.

[Andy Velebil]

I can't remember what bottle it was but it was from WineBid, but I opened one after only a month sitting after being shipped, and it was super cloudy. It might have been the Port but I couldn't help but make the connection.

Old bottled tawny’s will often be super cloudy after being disturbed. Can take months to settle back out because it’s so fine and just stays suspended for a long time. That’s not the case with VP. Give it a day or two standing after shipping and it will be fine.

[Lucas S]

One of each in mixed lots:
1997 Vesuvio VP
1995 Infantado VP
1994 Delaforce VP
1994 Constantino's VP

The last of which I assume is mislabeled because it doesn't seem to exist? This auction house once sold me two Eirados VP which turned out to be Vesuvio so I'm hoping for another pleasant surprise.

[Lucas S]

Birthday buys:

At Lisbon Newark:
2016 Ferreira LBV - $23
2014 Borges LBV - $18
They also had 2017 Delaforce and Graham LBVs, which I'll likely be going back for sometime to buy a case of 12 as they give case discounts. They are also the only place that has Burmester Ruby, which so far is the best regular ruby I've had.

At Seabra on Wilson Ave:
Borges Ruby Reserve - $13
Borges Old Reserve 10YO Malmsey Madeira - $35
Crasto Finest Reserve - $16 (rebought this one for cellaring, was last bottle)
2017 Barao de Vilar LBV x2 - $15 ea


That 2017 BdV LBV is the cheapest LBV I've found retail yet. There was about a case left so I bought two just in case.

[A.S. Demka]

Kopke: 1937, 1974 and 2003 Branco. :)

Are the 1937 and the 1974 bottles vintages or colheita’s?
I have a Kopke 1937 colheita, bottled in 1985. If yours is a colheita, when was it bottled?

Colheita. I believe bottled in 2023 but will double check.

Opps. 2019. And 2024 for the 1974.

Too bad we're more than 5.500 miles apart. I would have liked to taste the difference between a 1985 and a 2019 bottling

[Andy Velebil]

1970 and 1960 Sandeman VP.

[Mike J. W.]

Birthday buys:

At Lisbon Newark:
2016 Ferreira LBV - $23
2014 Borges LBV - $18
They also had 2017 Delaforce and Graham LBVs, which I'll likely be going back for sometime to buy a case of 12 as they give case discounts. They are also the only place that has Burmester Ruby, which so far is the best regular ruby I've had.

At Seabra on Wilson Ave:
Borges Ruby Reserve - $13
Borges Old Reserve 10YO Malmsey Madeira - $35
Crasto Finest Reserve - $16 (rebought this one for cellaring, was last bottle)
2017 Barao de Vilar LBV x2 - $15 ea


That 2017 BdV LBV is the cheapest LBV I've found retail yet. There was about a case left so I bought two just in case.

I recently saw that 2017 Barao de Vilar LBV in a different store for the same price and picked one up. I'll try it in the next month or so. If it's any good I'll pick up a few more bottles.

[A.S. Demka]

At todays Winefields auction:
6x Taylor's Vargellas 2005
6x Quinta do Vesuvio 1999
1x Taylor's Very Old Single Harvest 1964, bottled in 2014
and the catch of the day.... Niepoort Colheita 1935, bottling date unknown

[Janet Ainsworth]

Feuerheerd !0 year tawny Anchor Port, bottled 2014. I got this at Grocery Outlet, which has also recently featured some Feuerheerd table wines. Very dried fruit forward. But the mystery for me is why what appears to be a 20 year tawny was nevertheless bottled and sold as a 10 year tawny. Color is maple syrup with a bit of dusty rose, and the viscosity is similar to that of an older tawny. Anyone else in the metro Seattle area seen this and tried it?

[Eric Menchen]

They are also the only place that has Burmester Ruby, which so far is the best regular ruby I've had.

15 plus years ago I thought Noval had the best ruby, but that was before they started producing Noval Black. I haven't retried it since the introduction of the reserve label.

[Lucas S]

With the way quality has gone up, I definitely urge retrying/doing horizontals of some of the lower end Ports.

Sure, there is still plenty of chaff (even from the top producers) and large variation in styles/tannic content, but to me I enjoy the "prospecting" aspect of it.

[Andy Velebil]

1997 Ferreira VP. For some reason I didn’t have any of these in my cellar. That is now fixed.

[Al B.]

I had a bit of fun recently and picked up a mixed lot which consisted of two bottles Fonseca 1912, one bottle Fonseca 1922, two bottles Gould Campbell 1920, two bottles Warre 1920 and one bottle of unknown 1920. Levels were a bit all over the place, but the lot might hold a gem or two.

[Lucas S]

2015 Niepoort VP x2 (splitting a 6pk)
2005 Quarles Harris LBV

[Andy Velebil]

Here’s an odd one I’ve never seen or ever seen a TN on before. 1940 Sandeman VP, bottled in 1942. Couldn’t say no just out of curiosity.

Come to think about it, can’t recall ever seeing a TN on any 1940 VP…tawny, yes, but not a VP