For The Love Of Port

The thread started by Rich here made me think that it might be fun to ask folks to run through some of the most recent additions to their cellar.

Over the last couple of months I have not added much to my cellar, but have picked up:
6 x halves of Smith Woodhouse 1980
1 bottle Warre 1983 filtered LBV
1 bottle 1963 Unknown Shipper
1 bottle Avery's Selection 1966 Vintage Port
12 bottles of unknown shipper, unknown vintage

So what have you put into your cellar in the last couple of months?

Alex

Only about Portugal here is what I added

3x Charme Niepoort 2005
2x Batuta Niepoort 2004
1x Batuta Niepoort 2005
1x Redoma Niepoort 2005
1x Tiara Niepoort 2006
1x Colheita Niepoort 95
1x Vintage Niepoort 2005
1x Chardonnay Niepoort 2003
1x Chardonnay Niepoort 2004
1x Vertente Niepoort 2005
1x Redoma Branco Niepoort 2006
1x Redoma Branco Reserva Niepoort 2006
1x Grandjo Late Harvest RCV 2005
2x Quinta do Vale Dona Maria Douro 2002
1x Quinta do Vale Dona Maria Douro 2003
2x Quinta do Infantado Douro 2004
2x Prado de Roriz 2005
6x Redoma Niepoort 2003

This is mainly what I recall

Yet another reason I like CellarTracker....lists like these are easy to come up with. Looking over it, though, I haven't been shopping "in Portugal" much over the last half of this year.....

My additions from Portugal over the last 6 months:

2001 Jose Maria da Fonseca Periquita Classico
2003 Quinta do Noval Silval
2000 Taylor LBV
1997 Fonseca VP
1997 Warre VP
1994 Smith Woodhouse LBV
1999 Niepoort LBV
2004 Niepoort Vertente

Rich

Al, it must be fun trying unknown vintages and producers!

Here is what I have bought since July:

3 x 1985 Graham's VP
3 x Graham's 20 Year Tawny
1 x 1987 Graham's Malvedos VP
2 x 1995 Quinta do Vesuvio VP
2 x 1992 Quinta do Vesuvio VP
1 x Smith Woodhouse Lodge Reserve
1 x 1997 Warre VP
1 x 1995 Smith Woodhouse Madelena
1 x 1994 Quinta do Vesuvio
1 x 1985 Smith Woodhouse VP
1 x 1980 Warre VP (350 mL)
1 x Taylor 30 Year Twany
5 x Warre 10 Year Otima Tawny
1 x 1983 Porto Rocha Colheita

Wow, when I look at this it looks like a lot. I need my wife to not see this...

Wow--Alex, under what conditions did you purchase the unknowns? What kind of price too, if you don't mind me asking out loud? Is it sold with any speculation as to what it might be, or is it a total lottery ticket?

So last month us Alaskans received our Permanent Fund Dividend Check---$1,700 which is our Alaskan Royalties "for letting the oil companies rape and pilleage our state" (quote from Homer-Simpsons movie for those that saw it) So it is always perfectly timed in October two days before my birthday and perfect timing for some winter Port procurement

October Purchases:
1x 1977 Wise & Krohn Colheita
1x 1960 Cockburn VP
6x 1995 Fonseca Guimarens
6x 1994 Quinta do Vesuvio VP (Scored these for $43 USD per bottle :!: )
1x Graham's 40 yr ($50 USD for this--compares to $147 in my store)
4x 2003 Quinta do Noval VP (thanks J. Danza for the Chicago Wine Co. tip!
7x 1998 Ramos Pinto LBV
1x Feirrara 20 yr tawny
1x Taylor 20 yr tawny
8x 2000 Dow's LBV (check your local Costco--$14/btl)

~Also picked up some fun older German Rielsings, some other sweety's, and restocked my depleted Brunello stash, as well as a few large formats from my birth year.

Some great deals in there, Scott. I am envious, particularly of the '94 Vesuvio

Robert O. wrote:Wow, when I look at this it looks like a lot. I need my wife to not see this...

LOL... you and me both Robert.

Here are my most recent additions (last month or so):
1 1996 Graham's Malvedos SQVP
1 2003 JM Fonseca & van Zeller VP
1 2003 Graham's VP
1 1977 Smith Woodhouse VP
1 1995 Offley Boa Vista VP
1 1977 Barros Colheita (375)
3 1995 Warre's (unfiltered) LBV [b. 1999]
(Except I have since taken 2x of the Warre's 1995 LBV OUT of the cellar and enjoyed them very much)

Todd

This is what i bought in the last 3 months:

12 x Quinta do Noval 2003
12 x Quinta do Noval 2004
6 x Niepoort 2005
2 x Graham 1994
1 x Niepoort Garrafeira 1940
1 x Quinta do Estanho 2000

The Novals are resting quietly under the floor, the rest is in my cabinet.

Erik

1 X 1908 Graham's
1 X 1945 Taylor's
1 X 1955 Croft
3 X 1963 Fonseca
1 X 1963 Taylor's
6 X 1970 Fonseca
12 X 1977 Taylor's
12 X 1985 Sandeman
12 X 1985 Dow
and a few more i don't remember!

Scott Anaya wrote:Wow--Alex, under what conditions did you purchase the unknowns? What kind of price too, if you don't mind me asking out loud? Is it sold with any speculation as to what it might be, or is it a total lottery ticket?

Scott

The unknowns are pretty much a lottery. My experience with unknowns is a bit mixed, but its always fun to try something completely clueless as to what it is.

The 1963 Unknown has a wax seal with 1963 Vintage Port stamped on it but no label. I paid £50 at auction for this and have no clue what it is other than a 1963 VP - I might be able to find out from the cork when I open it.

The dozen Unknown Shipper, Unknown Vintage bottles were also bought at auction for just under £30 a bottle. I don't know what these are but there was some context that meant that I was willing to take a punt. (The context being that they came from an old cellar which had labelled ports from 1927-1966 and looked like mid-20th Century bottles.) I'll open one of these at UK Christmas Offline that we're having in a few weeks time - which has a theme of "The Unknown Shipper and his Uncertain Friends"

Alex

for th past month or so it has been:

12 x 1966 Grahams
12 x 1970 Grahams
2 x 1994 Martinez Quinta da Eira Velha
3 x 1994 Cockburn
2 x 1994 Quinta do Noval
3 x 1994 Smith Woodhouse
12 x 1995 Vale do Mina

Th 94's are to add to my aspiring collection of "every 1994 VP I can ever find", with the vague idea of having a massive tasting with freinds (hopefully including some of you FTLOPers) at some point in the future. The Vale do Mina (what Quinta do Vale Donna Maria used to be called before Christiano, if my information is correct) at US$288 a case could not be missed. The 66 Grahams because it's my favorite VP that I can actually afford, the 70 because it's great and Grahams is probably my vote for number one house if I had to have only one.

Jay

Jay

That's some serious adding you've done to your cellar in the last month!

And count me in when you organise your 1994 horizontal - in 2014 perhaps?

Alex

Al B. wrote: And count me in when you organise your 1994 horizontal - in 2014 perhaps?

Alex

Jay, me too. I'm always up for a little road trip up north.

8 bottles 1961 Krohn Colheita
2 Mags 77 Warres

So not so much

Here are a few bottles I picked up this weekend:

1990 Dow Quinta do Bomfim @ $40
1985 Graham @ $70
1990 Quinta do Vesuvio @ $40
1977 Warre @ $85

How did I do?

Andy V. wrote:

Al B. wrote: And count me in when you organise your 1994 horizontal - in 2014 perhaps?

Alex

Jay, me too. I'm always up for a little road trip up north.

Jay, I will pay my OWN way down to San Fran (rather than wait for the company) if you have this offline and I';m invited! I'm still disappointed that we were both too busy to meet last time I was down your way.

Todd

2014 sounds good, I should have them all by then...but I would like to start a little earlier...a good reason to have two or more of every one. Maybe two tastings. You are all invited of course! Currently I have the following (two or more bottles):

Broadbent
Cockburn
Dow (cs)
Graham (cs)
Martinez
Martinez Quinta da Eira Velha
Noval
Quinta do Passadouro
Quinta do Vesuvio (cs+)
Smith Woodhouse
Warre (cs)

Quite a few to go, including the more expensive ones...waiting for a good price for some, but mostly it's an opportunity thing. When one comes up that I don't yet have at a reasonable price I snatch a couple of bottles. When the Nacional comes up though I may go for only a single bottle!

Jay

Last three months the additions have been:

Warre 63 Mag
Sandeman 60 Mag
Nieport 97 Mag
3x VV Vargelas 2004
6x Taylor 1963


Yummy port!

Paulo,

Good additions and nice to see you back here!



Jay,

I have some 1994s to add to that list and would happily fly down to CA to join you. Keep it up North though. I did a 1994 horizontal of 24 producers circa 2002 in SF that was quite remarkable. I'd love to do it again in 2014 and would be happy to add quite a few bottles.



Al B.,

Nice topic!

I've been shopping a bit also. Mostly at auctions and a few at retail. Here we go:

October's auctions

6 - 1963 Taylor Fladgate VP (English Bottling)
6 - 1992 Fonseca VP (1.6L owc)
12 - 1994 Dow's VP
2 - 1935 Taylor Fladgate VP (Bottles by John Harvey & Sons)
1 - 1927 Taylor Fladgate VP (Bottled by Whitwham & Co.)
2 - 1982 Qunita do Noval Nacional
6 - 1997 Fonseca VP
6 - 1997 Graham's VP
2 - 1977 Graham's VP (1.5L)
1 - 1912 Pinto Ramos (1.5L)
12 - 2000 Cockburn's VP
24 - 2003 Dow's VP (375ml)
24 - 1994 Taylor Fladgate VP (375ml)
24 - 1992 Fonseca VP (375ml)
24 - 2000 Graham's VP (375ml)


Funny story, I was at an estate sale here in NJ and the family was selling off their fathers stuff since he had passed. I'm walking through the house that was about 20 times the size of my apartment and i noticed a small door back by the garage. There was a basket full of corks sitting next to it. I asked the lady if the corks were for sale, she said take them. She said here dad used to have a huge wine collection but got rid of it. I looked at some of the corks on the top of the pile, 2000????

I asked her If I could look around, said yes. I cracked open this little door(about 5X3.5ft) and heard a fan. Hm..cold and dark. felt around for a switch and saw the gold. The cellar was packed with wines. I went in and closed the door. I picked up 4 cases of half bottles for $100 per case or $100 for each of the 24 halves. Told the lady that I could help her auction the wines off. Said no cause now they were going to drink it. She asked if there was anything else i wanted. asked about the port tongs on the wall. told me to take them. Found out later from her that her father had a problem with booze and had been hiding it for 5-10 years. Told everyone that he was sober. He kept a log of all his wines and notes on everything.

I guess he got the last laugh.

santo