1871 Quinta do Loureiro Colheita Port
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2006 3:50 pm
Alex “KillerB” Kilbey was in Utrecht last week: do the Roots’ and I need a better excuse to open some nice bottles of wine? 
Of course not! 8)
Strangely, in the three days we spend together we only drank two bottles of Port: a Fonseca ’03 VP and this 1871 – by far the oldest bottle in my cellar.
Good fill, well into neck. Short cork, and a short brown wax capsule. No original paper labels (and I’ve seen this one with the painted “Kopke-style” label as well), but a relatively new and clean one, stating:
Vinha Velho do Douro
Colheita de 1871
Quinta do Loureiro
Garrafeira Particular
No mention of contents, alcohol level of bottling year. The bottle itself has a blueish / green colour that I’ve seen often in bottles from the ‘60ies and ‘70ies...perhaps this gives an indication of a possible bottling date?
It was moved from my cellar to the Roots’ place a week before opening, and had been standing upright for that time (a small amount of deposit was evident).
I managed to extract the cork in one piece, but no markings were found on it. Broadbent has written on this Port in his book “Vintage Wine”, and comments that the cork was branded with “Cabriz 1871” – not so in this case.
A quick sniff before pouring the wine revealed that yes, it was Port! Because of the labelling, I though it *might* have been a dry wine – even if this specific bottle is only sold as Port, AFAIK.
In the glass, this was NOT an appealing sight: a light muddy brown, with only deep in the heart a shimmer of life (i.e. a tiny ruby spot). The colour was to be expected, but that opaque appearance…
The nose was good thought, if not too Port-like: a cross between Malvazia and sweet old Oloroso. Is that a bad thing? Noooo! Pretty good, actually.
The body was thick, rich and sweet – but one-dimensional: caramel, just caramel. The sweetness was compensated by a fresh acidity. An alcoholic sharpness distracts a bit.
The finish was good again: warm, sweet, chocolatety but again a bit too hot.
However, the second glass we tried (after the bottle had 2 hours of air) was much better – the alcoholic hotness had blown off, and the finish had gained spicebox and even a touch of dried green herbs…odd, but tasty, and well in place.
Now, was this the earth-moving experience I had (secretly) hoped this 135 year old Port to be? No, not in a sense of ratings: I gave it 89 points after 2 hours, when it was at its best – but IMHO that is beside the point in this case: this was a very, very special wine, amazingly still very much alive, and shared with 5 very good friends: a 100 point experience!
To put it in perspective:
- Born in 1871: Marcel Proust, Orville Wright, Rasputin (according to some sources at least)
- Premiered in 1871: Verdi's "Aida"
- Published in 1871: "Through the Looking Glass" (Lewis Carroll) and "The Decent of Men" (Charles Darwin)
- 1871: saw the end of the French / Prussian War, and the re-establishment of the German Empire - the Second Reich.
- 1871: non of my great-grandparents were born yet...
(Of course, any more info on this wine is very much appreciated!)
Of course not! 8) Strangely, in the three days we spend together we only drank two bottles of Port: a Fonseca ’03 VP and this 1871 – by far the oldest bottle in my cellar.
Good fill, well into neck. Short cork, and a short brown wax capsule. No original paper labels (and I’ve seen this one with the painted “Kopke-style” label as well), but a relatively new and clean one, stating:
Vinha Velho do Douro
Colheita de 1871
Quinta do Loureiro
Garrafeira Particular
No mention of contents, alcohol level of bottling year. The bottle itself has a blueish / green colour that I’ve seen often in bottles from the ‘60ies and ‘70ies...perhaps this gives an indication of a possible bottling date?
It was moved from my cellar to the Roots’ place a week before opening, and had been standing upright for that time (a small amount of deposit was evident).
I managed to extract the cork in one piece, but no markings were found on it. Broadbent has written on this Port in his book “Vintage Wine”, and comments that the cork was branded with “Cabriz 1871” – not so in this case.
A quick sniff before pouring the wine revealed that yes, it was Port! Because of the labelling, I though it *might* have been a dry wine – even if this specific bottle is only sold as Port, AFAIK.
In the glass, this was NOT an appealing sight: a light muddy brown, with only deep in the heart a shimmer of life (i.e. a tiny ruby spot). The colour was to be expected, but that opaque appearance…
The nose was good thought, if not too Port-like: a cross between Malvazia and sweet old Oloroso. Is that a bad thing? Noooo! Pretty good, actually.
The body was thick, rich and sweet – but one-dimensional: caramel, just caramel. The sweetness was compensated by a fresh acidity. An alcoholic sharpness distracts a bit.
The finish was good again: warm, sweet, chocolatety but again a bit too hot.
However, the second glass we tried (after the bottle had 2 hours of air) was much better – the alcoholic hotness had blown off, and the finish had gained spicebox and even a touch of dried green herbs…odd, but tasty, and well in place.
Now, was this the earth-moving experience I had (secretly) hoped this 135 year old Port to be? No, not in a sense of ratings: I gave it 89 points after 2 hours, when it was at its best – but IMHO that is beside the point in this case: this was a very, very special wine, amazingly still very much alive, and shared with 5 very good friends: a 100 point experience!
To put it in perspective:
- Born in 1871: Marcel Proust, Orville Wright, Rasputin (according to some sources at least)
- Premiered in 1871: Verdi's "Aida"
- Published in 1871: "Through the Looking Glass" (Lewis Carroll) and "The Decent of Men" (Charles Darwin)
- 1871: saw the end of the French / Prussian War, and the re-establishment of the German Empire - the Second Reich.
- 1871: non of my great-grandparents were born yet...
(Of course, any more info on this wine is very much appreciated!)