For The Love Of Port

Mike Meehan wrote:Have any of the flagship SFE or TFP houses been declared (aside from the Cockburn centenary)?

Take a looksie http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopfo ... =1&t=40216

Thomas V wrote:

Mike Meehan wrote:Have any of the flagship SFE or TFP houses been declared (aside from the Cockburn centenary)?

Take a looksie http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopfo ... =1&t=40216

OK though that list includes Dow's and Graham's but I haven't seen/heard anything about these being declared other than the Senhora da Ribeira and the Stone Terraces? So as it stands today it seems like there will be no 2015 declaration from Dow, Graham, Warre, Taylor, Fonseca, Croft.

Mike Meehan wrote:

Thomas V wrote:

Mike Meehan wrote:Have any of the flagship SFE or TFP houses been declared (aside from the Cockburn centenary)?

Take a looksie http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopfo ... =1&t=40216

OK though that list includes Dow's and Graham's but I haven't seen/heard anything about these being declared other than the Senhora da Ribeira and the Stone Terraces? So as it stands today it seems like there will be no 2015 declaration from Dow, Graham, Warre, Taylor, Fonseca, Croft.

Well Roy says it is a done deal and my connections are nothing compared to his. So if he says they will declare I am inclined to believe him.

But I was repeating information that had been sent to me by way of their importer, as explained in the other 2015 thread. To be clear, there will be NO 2015 Graham's and Dow's declared, just their single parcel and single quinta VPs respectively.

It is really hard to have plan to keep your port budget on a leash and not spend it on anything while waiting for 2015 en primeur. I now know how Gleen feels about his new years resolution

Just yesterday I had to refrain from bidding on a Quinta do Infantado auction, with really nice prices. But it all adds up in the end I want to focus and not become erratic in my purchasing of VPs. That is a hard thing to do.

Wait until you've been doing it a few more years and the addiction to buying VP has gone from a fun hobby to total obsession.

I remember when I used to get cases of Port delivered. I'd put them in the trunk of my car, wait for my wife to go to sleep and then carry them down to the cellar. I just did not need to hear, "not another one!"

Wait until you've been doing it a few more years and the addiction to buying VP has gone from a fun hobby to total obsession.

Giving every case a three digit serial number - and then running out of numbers.. - rather brings it home..,

Sadly that was several years ago - and I'm still at it..

Roy Hersh wrote:Wait until you've been doing it a few more years and the addiction to buying VP has gone from a fun hobby to total obsession.

I remember when I used to get cases of Port delivered. I'd put them in the trunk of my car, wait for my wife to go to sleep and then carry them down to the cellar. I just did not need to hear, "not another one!"

Hi Roy, sounds very familiar....

Tom Archer wrote:

Wait until you've been doing it a few more years and the addiction to buying VP has gone from a fun hobby to total obsession.

Giving every case a three digit serial number - and then running out of numbers.. - rather brings it home..,

That is crazy Tom :)

Only for cases of port? The even more troubling thing is most of us do collect still wine and champagne as well...

Thomas V wrote:

Tom Archer wrote:

Wait until you've been doing it a few more years and the addiction to buying VP has gone from a fun hobby to total obsession.

Giving every case a three digit serial number - and then running out of numbers.. - rather brings it home..,

That is crazy Tom :)

Only for cases of port? The even more troubling thing is most of us do collect still wine and champagne as well...

What's really crazy is that Tom has multiple cellars - real, underground ones - and still keeps running out of storage space.

Glenn E. wrote:

Thomas V wrote:

Tom Archer wrote: Giving every case a three digit serial number - and then running out of numbers.. - rather brings it home..,

That is crazy Tom :)

Only for cases of port? The even more troubling thing is most of us do collect still wine and champagne as well...

What's really crazy is that Tom has multiple cellars - real, underground ones - and still keeps running out of storage space.

Crazy? Or just crazy admirable?


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Roy Hersh wrote: I remember when I used to get cases of Port delivered. I'd put them in the trunk of my car, wait for my wife to go to sleep and then carry them down to the cellar. I just did not need to hear, "not another one!"

I do that one quite often.

Hilarious
This practice is found also among native canadians

So are people starting to place their orders for 2015 en primeur or have everyone decided to wait until 2016 perhaps gets declared?

I myself have put down an order for a case of both 0.75 and 0.375 Fonseca Guimaraens. They were 40 and 22 USD respectfully. I will use the ½ bottles to sample it while it is maturing.

Also have a fair offer in place for the Vesuvio which I will get a case of. The Niepoort I am still contemplating.

Anyone here who will be getting some Graham's Stone Terrace 2015 VP? Only 250 cases made with 6 bottles each. Every bottled numbered.

Are the Symingtons going for something of the likes of Vargellas Vinha Velha and Quinta do Noval Nacional with this brand? To establish something rare, unique and exquisite that commands a large sum?

Thomas V wrote:Anyone here who will be getting some Graham's Stone Terrace 2015 VP? Only 250 cases made with 6 bottles each. Every bottled numbered.

I plan to. I picked up a full case of the 2011 Stone Terraces and will try to do the same for 2015. I believe that production volume is 2011, though... from what I've seen 2015 will be 400 x 9 liter cases. Also, 2011 shipped in 3-packs, not 6-packs, though as I recall the total was 250 x 9 liter cases (which I assume was delivered as 1000 3-packs).

Are the Symingtons going for something of the likes of Vargellas Vinha Velha and Quinta do Noval Nacional with this brand? To establish something rare, unique and exquisite that commands a large sum?

That's my understanding, though the two you name are fairly different right now. (Also, include Vesuvio a Capela in that list if they make it again.) I suspect it will take decades, if it is even possible, for another Port to build up the reputation necessary to command prices similar to Nacional. I'm sure that TFP and SFE would love for that to happen, but at least for the time being they're probably more concerned with making outstanding and unique products. It's the smart move - establish the product and its quality first, then work on the price over time.

Are the Symingtons going for something of the likes of Vargellas Vinha Velha and Quinta do Noval Nacional with this brand? To establish something rare, unique and exquisite that commands a large sum?

That is certainly my take on things. Frankly, I'm amazed that Nacional had the field to itself for over half a century before anyone else ventured into the idea of bottling a super cuvee.

Had the Symingtons been making Stone Terraces with the diligence they are today back in the 1980s, Nacional would be sunk by now. There are very few worthy NNs made between 1970 and 1994, yet it's reputation survived, due to lack of competition.

Going forward though, it is clear to me that the Symingtons have a long term strategy to create a superlative catalogue of wines from this parcel of vines, with a zero tolerance of mediocrity.

- I might just buy some..

Tom Archer wrote:

Are the Symingtons going for something of the likes of Vargellas Vinha Velha and Quinta do Noval Nacional with this brand? To establish something rare, unique and exquisite that commands a large sum?

That is certainly my take on things. Frankly, I'm amazed that Nacional had the field to itself for over half a century before anyone else ventured into the idea of bottling a super cuvee.

Had the Symingtons been making Stone Terraces with the diligence they are today back in the 1980s, Nacional would be sunk by now. There are very few worthy NNs made between 1970 and 1994, yet it's reputation survived, due to lack of competition.

Going forward though, it is clear to me that the Symingtons have a long term strategy to create a superlative catalogue of wines from this parcel of vines, with a zero tolerance of mediocrity.

- I might just buy some..

I think there just wasn't the market for super cuvee's back then. Nacional was given away as a thank you gift until 1985 when Cristiano decided to sell it when he took over running Noval at the very young age of about 21. Pretty smart guy. But prior to that Port sales, especially until the late 1960's, were in the toilet. No one would buy a super expensive cuvee. So why make one. Obviously that has now changed and everyone wants to have a special cuvee. Pretty safe to say many of us here have had a number of these "super cuvee" that have been released. Most of which are not worth the tariff being charged. The Symington's are just one company that seem to be committed to doing it the right way and making a product that truly is a stand out from their regular VP's.

Glenn E. wrote:

Thomas V wrote:Anyone here who will be getting some Graham's Stone Terrace 2015 VP? Only 250 cases made with 6 bottles each. Every bottled numbered.

I plan to. I picked up a full case of the 2011 Stone Terraces and will try to do the same for 2015. I believe that production volume is 2011, though... from what I've seen 2015 will be 400 x 9 liter cases. Also, 2011 shipped in 3-packs, not 6-packs, though as I recall the total was 250 x 9 liter cases (which I assume was delivered as 1000 3-packs).

Yeah, it's usually safe to assume that unless otherwise specified, total production cases refers to 9 liter cases, even if they're packaged differently than the standard 12x750ml. That figure also traditionally includes their larger and smaller format bottlings as well.


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OK. I confess. I've bought six packs of Vesuvio, Stone Terraces and Noval. It was a tough decision as I also really liked the Cockburn.