For The Love Of Port

I find this quite funny because for most of us we will have to be buying cases in our twenties to drink in our forties which doesnt happen.so most of us buy from auction or merchants.my oldest was grahams 75 but I've drank it but now it is crofts 77. how old is yours

What an interesting question - one I don't think I've ever been asked before. I'm not absolutely sure of the answer and can't check right now as I don't have my cellar list with me but I suspect that it was either the 1991 or the 1994 Quinta do Vesuvio (both bought as 21st birthday gifts for godchildren - with a bit extra for me!)

Alex

You mentioned wine, not Port but here is the answer to both:

1985 Ridge Geyserville

1991 Vintage Ports

I start buying Port and on release with the 1997 vintage. Though at that time the 1995 Vinha Velha from Taylor was being release, so this is my oldest Port bought on release. For the wines, some are release a bit later than others so I did buy some 88 Coteau du Layon and 93 Tokaji in these days too.

I am going to date myself here, but on release I started purchasing:

1994 Vintage Ports

1987 - 1991 California Cabernets

I was purchasing 1987 and 1988 cabernets off the grocery store shelf, but then got bitten by the wine bug and started purchasing some of the better 1990 and 1991 cabernets from wine shops.

Since I am just a young'n, my first bottle of wine was a 1997 Cinnabar Cabernet Sauvignon.


(disclaimer: I am very good friends with, the then, estate manager and his family and they were the ones that got me drinking wine which then led to Port...and the rest is history )

As for VP's, the first major VP was the 2003's (OK, I really just showed my age on that one..but I'm making up for lost time )

I guess it is the lawyer in me so I was somewhat impaired in trying to understand the question. It can be a handicap,I admit. I mean most wine was young when I bought it on release and wines are usuallly not very old when bought on release. I recently bought a case of recently re-released 78 Rieussec Sauternes ex-chateau so it could be the oldest wine I ever bought on release, bought this year .

Now that I think I get it, I bought the 1985 Graham's upon its release circa 1989.

I'm really dating myself.
Table wine-1978 Leoville Barton. Still have a single bottle left.
Port-1983 Grahrams.

Fun question !
Looking at my "cellar book", I bought a half-case of Dow '77 375 ml in Feb 1982 from the Wine House in Los Angeles @ $7.99 per btl. I only have 3 left. Man, this question really brings up the "shoulda-coulda" problem !

I was a very late starter and, at 41 years of age, I can reveal that the oldest wine I have bought on release is the Vesuvio 2003

However, I am about to take delivery of a case of ex-cellars Graham's Malvedos 1965 - does that count?

Derek

Table wines from California I started buying a few with the 96 vintage.

For ports it would be the 2000 vintage.

As a loophole answer I would say and 1863 Madeira since it had just been bottled it is technically upon release. :)

Jay.

Good question!

For Port: 1991 Croft

For table wine: 1985 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Pinot

-Dave-

I like to think i'm young :? well, i'm 31, and the first VPs I bought on futures were Graham and Niepoort '00.