What Port(s) have you purchased this week?

[Roy Hersh]

I am not buying much new Port, (I keep saying that!) but after posting about the Pocas Bonficador recently, yesterday, I circled back and found that they still had five of the original release of this Port. Not wanting to wipe them out, I purchased four of them. So they do have one left from their original series of 733. Now I can feel free to share with friends again.

[Mike J. W.]

I am not buying much new Port, (I keep saying that!) but after posting about the Pocas Bonficador recently, yesterday, I circled back and found that they still had five of the original release of this Port. Not wanting to wipe them out, I purchased four of them. So they do have one left from their original series of 733. Now I can feel free to share with friends again.

Lol, that's very strange because after A.S. Demka posted he had bought the last 12 remaining bottles of Bonificador, I reached out to Pocas. They said they had one on the floor which I said I'd buy. They then came back and said they found 1 more back in the warehouse so I bought that as well. If I had known they had 5 more laying around I probably would have bought a few more. Oh well, enjoy!

[A.S. Demka]

I am not buying much new Port, (I keep saying that!) but after posting about the Pocas Bonficador recently, yesterday, I circled back and found that they still had five of the original release of this Port. Not wanting to wipe them out, I purchased four of them. So they do have one left from their original series of 733. Now I can feel free to share with friends again.

Lol, that's very strange because after A.S. Demka posted he had bought the last 12 remaining bottles of Bonificador, I reached out to Pocas. They said they had one on the floor which I said I'd buy. They then came back and said they found 1 more back in the warehouse so I bought that as well. If I had known they had 5 more laying around I probably would have bought a few more. Oh well, enjoy!

The story doesn’t end here….. After sharing two great bottles with friends over the weekend, I contacted Poças on December 16 to check whether they were completely out of stock or not. They still had four (!), and these were sent to me the next day. In hindsight I feel a little selfish, so to make this up to you, I’ll take a bottle of Bonificador with me on my next PHT2 trip! Kind regards, Alle de Muinck Keizer

[Mike J. W.]

I am not buying much new Port, (I keep saying that!) but after posting about the Pocas Bonficador recently, yesterday, I circled back and found that they still had five of the original release of this Port. Not wanting to wipe them out, I purchased four of them. So they do have one left from their original series of 733. Now I can feel free to share with friends again.

Lol, that's very strange because after A.S. Demka posted he had bought the last 12 remaining bottles of Bonificador, I reached out to Pocas. They said they had one on the floor which I said I'd buy. They then came back and said they found 1 more back in the warehouse so I bought that as well. If I had known they had 5 more laying around I probably would have bought a few more. Oh well, enjoy!

The story doesn’t end here….. After sharing two great bottles with friends over the weekend, I contacted Poças on December 16 to check whether they were completely out of stock or not. They still had four (!), and these were sent to me the next day. In hindsight I feel a little selfish, so to make this up to you, I’ll take a bottle of Bonificador with me on my next PHT2 trip! Kind regards, Alle de Muinck Keizer

Lol. That's too funny. Someone needs to have a chat with their Inventory Control Manager.

[Roy Hersh]

One of the key people is coming to my home today to drop off the bottles as I wire transferred the money on Wednesday (PT time). I would almost bet that they have more already blended. I am going to see exactly what the numbers are on the bottles. If both Mike and Alle, would also mention the bottle numbers they have, we will figure this out quickly. I will also ask the gal coming, who is very in tune with what is going on in the company ... if she can explain to me how this is possible.

[Roy Hersh]

These are not new bottlings.

No more casks of any kind that the young lady was aware of. She said that sometimes orders are returned, or bottles are found in the warehouse. I was not a believer.

On Friday, I will post either on the For The Love Of Port page on Facebook, or my Instagram page of the same name, a photo of these new additions to my collection, which clearly show the bottles numbers. None are consecutive.

[Mike J. W.]

I'm awaiting delivery of mine. They cleared Customs in NYC, but haven't moved from there yet. I hope to see them early next week. I'll post pics on here when I receive them (I don't have Facebook or Instagram).

[Glenn E.]

Even the bottles that I got back in May were mostly non-consecutive numbers, and not by a small difference. IIRC I had numbers ranging from the 300s to the 700s. A couple of "pairs" in all of that, but the range spanned practically the entire possible range.

[Eric Ifune]

I'm sure they know the blending recipe. As long as they have the components, shouldn't be hard to knock up more bottles.

[Glenn E.]

We were told back in May that it was a previous blend that was theoretically slated to be used as a further blending component in their TWAIOA line, but that it had matured so nicely that they decided to bottle it separately. The implication being that they couldn't (easily) make more just by blending, because doing so would require blending and then further aging in the right barrels in order to try to replicate the same unique experience.

I.e. this wasn't planned, it was a happy accident. Conceptually similar to Sandeman Cask 33 from 2014, which was nominally slated to be a component of their 40 Year Old blend but was bottled separately for their 225th Anniversary because it had aged uniquely.

At least, that's the impression that I came away with from the visit.

[Mike J. W.]

We were told back in May that it was a previous blend that was theoretically slated to be used as a further blending component in their TWAIOA line, but that it had matured so nicely that they decided to bottle it separately. The implication being that they couldn't (easily) make more just by blending, because doing so would require blending and then further aging in the right barrels in order to try to replicate the same unique experience.

I.e. this wasn't planned, it was a happy accident. Conceptually similar to Sandeman Cask 33 from 2014, which was nominally slated to be a component of their 40 Year Old blend but was bottled separately for their 225th Anniversary because it had aged uniquely.

At least, that's the impression that I came away with from the visit.

That's exactly how I understood it at the Pocas tasting last May.

[A.S. Demka]

I'm awaiting delivery of mine. They cleared Customs in NYC, but haven't moved from there yet. I hope to see them early next week. I'll post pics on here when I receive them (I don't have Facebook or Instagram).

I haven’t seen my four bottles yet as I am on holidays in the USA and Mexico until Sunday. More news here on Monday!

[A.S. Demka]

I'm awaiting delivery of mine. They cleared Customs in NYC, but haven't moved from there yet. I hope to see them early next week. I'll post pics on here when I receive them (I don't have Facebook or Instagram).

I haven’t seen my four bottles yet as I am on holidays in the USA and Mexico until Sunday. More news here on Monday!

The previous bottles were numbered 227, 230, 234, 244, 253, 259, 295, 302, 303, 329, 333, 374.
The four new ones 246, 443, 601 and 627. All numbers were printed on the labels, with exception of bottle nr 627. This number was hand written. I wonder whether all the other ‘last’ bottles had numbers written by hand as well.
Enjoy your Bonificadors , they are soooo good!

[Lucas S]

This auction house was trying to flog 10x Taylor Regular Tawnys for $90-100 for a few weeks.

This week they threw in the towel and placed the minimum at $50, which I won. At that price I can just dole them out to doormen and whatnot.

[Glenn E.]

The previous bottles were numbered 227, 230, 234, 244, 253, 259, 295, 302, 303, 329, 333, 374.
The four new ones 246, 443, 601 and 627. All numbers were printed on the labels, with exception of bottle nr 627. This number was hand written. I wonder whether all the other ‘last’ bottles had numbers written by hand as well.

I have one that looks hand-numbered and is 093.

The rest all look printed, but using a font that I think is meant to look hand-written. Those include 225, 568, 583, 717, and 727. I have 2 more bottles somewhere, but have lost track of them at the moment. They're probably just buried in one of my refrigerators. I have a vague memory that at least one of those is somewhere in the 300s, but who knows?

[Mike J. W.]

I just received my 2 Bonificador's this morning from Pocas. The bottle numbers are 429 & 479 and they appear to be hand numbered. The label references the same Barrica number as the ones that I purchased in May.

[Al B.]

I’ve just bought a bottle of Barros 102 Tawny. I’m curious to find out how it tastes since it is, basically, a 50 YO tawny.

[A.S. Demka]

After Roy's 2022 Vintage tasting report I bought 8 bottles of Vargellas 2022 and 8 bottles of Vesuvio 2022 through Portugal Vineyards in Porto.
When I opened the packages this afternoon I saw that on all bottles the 'Selo de Garantia' was missing on the bottle opening under the capsule. The Vesuvio's have a small sticker stating Symington Family Estate plus a number, the Vargellas has an easy to peel off sticker around the capsule stating by appointment to H.M. Queen, etc.

Below the labels on the back of the bottles there were 'new' numbered Selo stickers (1 X 2 inches). Is this new, or have I missed something?

[Glenn E.]

After Roy's 2022 Vintage tasting report I bought 8 bottles of Vargellas 2022 and 8 bottles of Vesuvio 2022 through Portugal Vineyards in Porto.
When I opened the packages this afternoon I saw that on all bottles the 'Selo de Garantia' was missing on the bottle opening under the capsule. The Vesuvio's have a small sticker stating Symington Family Estate plus a number, the Vargellas has an easy to peel off sticker around the capsule stating by appointment to H.M. Queen, etc.

Below the labels on the back of the bottles there were 'new' numbered Selo stickers (1 X 2 inches). Is this new, or have I missed something?

Yep, the rule changed. IIRC the rules changed in 2017 to allow for the selo to be integrated with the back label, or stickered to the back if there's no back label. Many producers still use the over-the-cork traditional selos, but they're no longer required.

Graham's The Stone Terraces 2017 used the new back label integration, as I recall.

[A.S. Demka]

After Roy's 2022 Vintage tasting report I bought 8 bottles of Vargellas 2022 and 8 bottles of Vesuvio 2022 through Portugal Vineyards in Porto.
When I opened the packages this afternoon I saw that on all bottles the 'Selo de Garantia' was missing on the bottle opening under the capsule. The Vesuvio's have a small sticker stating Symington Family Estate plus a number, the Vargellas has an easy to peel off sticker around the capsule stating by appointment to H.M. Queen, etc.

Below the labels on the back of the bottles there were 'new' numbered Selo stickers (1 X 2 inches). Is this new, or have I missed something?

Yep, the rule changed. IIRC the rules changed in 2017 to allow for the selo to be integrated with the back label, or stickered to the back if there's no back label. Many producers still use the over-the-cork traditional selos, but they're no longer required.

Graham's The Stone Terraces 2017 used the new back label integration, as I recall.

Thanks Glenn!