I've been waiting to post this one for a long time, but just did a full inventory of my little stash today. My collection includes:

1970 (Rebello Valente)
1977 (Dow, Warre, Gould Campbell and the infamous Graham magnum)
1983 (Graham, Dow, Warre, Smith Woodhouse)
1985 (Graham, Fonseca, Warre, Smith Woodhouse, Kopke)
1986 (Graham Malvedos, Quinta de Vargellas, Offley's Boa Vista)
1988 (Malvedos)
1991 (Gould Campbell, Cockburn Quinta dos Canais (first bottle ever bought, would not buy it today)
1994 (Dow, Quinta do Vesuvio, Croft, Martinez, Warre)
1995 (Vesuvio, Smith Woodhouse Madalena, Churchill Agua Alta, Martinez Eira Velha, Taylor Vargellas)
1997 Niepoort, Quinta do Noval, Warre, Dow, Calem, Quinta do Noval Silval

And I expect to be the proud owner of 1963 Delaforce by within the next three weeks!



(Inspired by Tsunami, who may have the best collection of the lot of us!)

bman - you are most lucky! what a nice collection. I only have a few bottles of assorted, good 90's port. Anything older than that is consumed so I don't bother keeping it around.

Leave those babies alone, Tex! Child assault is a crime (a capital crime in Texas, I'd guess! )

Bman, you certainly have a nice little stash of Ports. Mine is nowhere that conclusive, but I do have a few little babies that I cherish.

1977 Fonseca, Dow,
1985 Grahams (3)
1990 Dow
1994 Nieport, Dow, Fonseca
1994 Dow LBV (6 left)
1997 Dow

I've got the following small stash of port:

1962 Quinta do Noval Nacional
1977 Krohn Colheita
1994 Broadbent

I'll be heading to London so I think I might stock up. Any good places to purchase port that can send it back to the USA for me?

skwid: One of my favourite topics: buying port in London! Don't know anything about shipping it back, as we Canadians can only bring back 2 bottles duty free, but if anyone can ship it back for your, its the place I'm about to recommend, Berry Brothers and Rudd.

Tsunami and I (sort-of) disagree on this, but if you are flying out of either Terminal 3 or Terminal 4 at Heathrow, I would head straight to the Berry Brothers and Rudd website (www.bbr.com), keyword "port", and start checking out the offerings. Once you decide what you want, send an e-mail or fax to them asking for the duty free prices of the ports you want (usually about 15% lower than the price on the website, if they are available duty free - most are, but not all). Then give them your credit card details (by phone or fax if you prefer) to hold your order, and the time of your flight out of Heathrow Terminal 3 or 4, and ask them to confirm by return e-mail your order, the price, and that it will be waiting for you when you arrive at the shop. Then get to the shop in plenty of time, take a few minutes to salivate over the trophy wines available, and the relatively low prices, then move to the cash, tell them who you are, and collect your wines. If Chris Matthews is there, tell him his best Canadian customer sent you!

If you are not flying through Heathrow Terminals 3 or 4, either change your flight (probably worth it), or visit Berry Brothers main shop at 3 St. James Street, in front of the St. James Palace in Mayfair (where the Queen Mum and Prince Big Ears live -- separate flats, I understand). You will want to do this in any case, as it is a local landmark, because it has been there for over 300 years, and shows its age most graciously, and because the sales staff really knows its stuff. FYI, the first and last ever Embassy of Texas, really, was housed in a flat over Berry's shop, and the flat in which the affair in the novel The End of The Affair took place in real life, is beside it. And if you go to the shop, don't forget to ask them to weigh you (they probably won't, but they won't be surprised you asked -- I'd explain, but this post is already long enough!)

Tsunami will tell you that you might find better prices in out-of-the-way shops, which is true, but that would take time and luck, if not serendipity, whereas BBR is utterly dependable, charming and, well, 'nuff said (if not too much!).

Happy hunting and let us know what you buy, and where you buy it.

FYI, not to toot my own horn (if that horse is not already out of the barn! ), but you might like to check out my thread on London on the Wine Conversations forum. Others knowledgeable about London also posted, and there is much useful info there.

bman-
I am not worthy

Passed up on 94's--what a slumbering doof!

Woke up in time to get 97's;1 case mixed Fonseca and Taylor Fladgate at @50.00 per.

However, for the intervening 20 years, I have an excellent tawny port, muscat, tokay, and TBA selection, which I can drink in the interim.

DrT

I have some 1992 and 1994 LBV Port in our place in Florida. At home in NY, my fortified wines include:

(1) 1863 Welsh Brothers Bual Madeira

I had 3 1945 Croft, but they are now pleasant memories.

(1) 1970 Fonseca

(1) 1977 Dow

(1) 1980 Graham

(1) 1983 Graham

(2) 1983 Dow

(1) 1983 Warre

(1) 1983 Fonseca

(2) 1985 Graham

(1) 1985 Fonseca

(1) 1988 Graham Malvedos

(2) 1991 Croft

(1) 1992 Fonseca

(4) 1992 Quinta do Infantado

(1) 1994 Warre

(1) 1995 Quinta do Noval

(1) Warre Quinta da Cavadinha

(1) 1997 Pindar Cabernet Port

(1) 1998 Lakeview Celars Starboard

(1) NV Cockburn 10 year tawny

(1) NV Peninsula Cellars (MI) Melange

'63 Sandeman (1)
'77 Kopke Colheita (9)

Not enough!

As on a previous thread about what's in your cellar, I have 300-some Vintage Ports, from 2 '63 Sandeman through '98 Dow's; & including about 7 cases of '94 (all the good ones); but not a lot of '97 (too expensive).
When I get motivated enough, I'll update the list.

I have 200-some NW reds, including about 100 Quilceda Creek '92-'98 (& '99 next month).
On the other hand, my Bordeaux "collection" is 2 '90 Figeac & 1 '82 Plince; & I californicated the cellar a few years ago with one '93 CSJ Cinq Cepages Cab.

(picture "yawning" gremlin here)

Of my 100bottles five are port. '94: Taylor, Dow, Graham, Warre; '97 Taylor. But more imPORTant, I have a friend with dozens of '70's. Viva la friendships.

A relative Port neophyte here:
1994 Broadbent
1997 Sandeman Vau Vintage
1997 Niepoort
1994 Osborne LBV
Trying to make do in the meantime with Chateau Reynella Old Caves and Benjamin Tawnies.
I am, however, willing to learn.

I am of the opinion that laying down young vintage port probably is not economically justified. Thus I have only a few cases in the cellar. 97 Taylors (bought before I came to this conclusion), 70 Taylors, 85, 80, 77 and 63 Grahams.

hi bman,

today im online with a new computer (a fast one )
but my personal wine-list is still at the other but i will answer your question later!

cheers!

Bman,

Nothing older than 1991 but here they are:

1991- Graham
1995- Fonseca (14), Taylor (14), Warre (6), Croft
1997- Niepoort(6), Delaforce, Taylor Fladgate(2), Fonseca (8)

VM

Jones: If I remember correctly, you are still in your 30s, so why do you say laying down port is not economically viable, when the prices will escalate somuch as time goes by, and you will likely still be around to drink them when they are at their best? The cost of the older vintages are no longer available on the WS wine ratings, but my recollection is that the 77s, 83s and 85s are today worth many times their release price (all under $15 USD as I recall). The top few 91s and 92s were all $30-something dollars on release, and are worth at least twice that today, only 10 years later, on the retail market, if you can find them.

Of course, if you can find and afford the older vintages, well, as Cindy Lauper said, money changes everything. But even then, I'm guessing you and most others enjoy the hunt and capture of a deal. And no one enjoys overpaying (aside from some British bankers I once heard about.... )

I'm 34.

Vintage Port appears to appreciate at a lesser rate than dry red wines. I can still easily pick up 1970 Taylors in the mid 100s. (1970 Taylor is a great Port) 1997 Taylors varies between 60 and 80 bucks. Well stored vintage ports are easily purchased at auction or from retailers in Europe. I would rather pay double and get a mature wine rather than pay half and wait 20 years prior to opening.

Basically, I think the mature Port market is undervalued thus I am buying and drinking the mature ones at the present time. See for example the WS 100 point 1994 tandem of ports and compare their price to 100 point bottles of red table wine. Your example of a wine only doubling in value over a 10 year period is poor relative performance compared to well selected dry reds.

That seems a logical argument, but the real point seems to be that both are good strategies. Buy mature stuff if you can, but also buy good QPR young ports for the future. Part of the fun for me is to try to buy immature wines that seem to be superb QPRs (94 Croft at 96 points, 97 Warre at 95 points - I think, 94 Martinez at 95 points). And not to pull the rug out from under my own argument, but I also look forward to seeing if the ports will be as good when they are mature, and I hope even better, than the rater claimed they would be when he/she rated them.

Which suggests another point that might be better in a separate thread: how much can we trust barrel tasting ratings on vintage port (or any wine), or ratings on release, on something that will take 20 years before it is fully mature and at its best?

Bman, Jones: I'll have to get in my 2 cents...

I agree that buying young Port at the right price is a good deal, & am glad I did so when I did--mostly '91-'94s (also plenty of '95s, but not such a good QPR, I fear, on the heels of '94. We'll see.) I hope to have a lot of good wine to drink--'94s in particular--when it is more expensive than what I would want to pay for it.

From what I've heard, I'm glad I bought a bunch of '77s, '83s & 85's (as well as '70s) during the same time, since I understand that prices were high in the late '80s to early '90s; & more importantly, before they went up '96-'97, fueled by the '94 vintage & strong economy.

I also agree that a lot of mature Ports have been undervalued, relative to other wines, current prices of younger Ports, & especially to '97 Ports. A good '70 for $100-150 to drink now is more attractive than a '97 Taylor for $80. I have been reluctant the last few years, but am seriously considering paying $80 or so for an '85 Graham's. But I personally also have a hard time paying $150 for any wine very often.

I simply can't or won't afford the high '97 prices. I had hoped that the next big vintage would be more reasonable, but appears not.

Too bad we couldn't all of bought some of those great '55s-'70s when they were a steal!
I just hope I get to enjoy what I have, since I have put a lot of time, effort & money into it.

O.K., so call me a putz if you will.
My port count: 0.
I'll sip if offered a glass though.
Sorry folks.

Since man cannot live by Zin alone (maybe): Here's the current inventory:

1937 Ramos Pinto - Colhita

1970 Dow 2
1970 Graham's 3

1977 Taylor 1

1978 Chateau Reynella 7 (Australian Shiraz "Port"))

1985 Chateau Reynella 5

1994 Fonseca 18
1994 Fonseca 2 Magnums
1994 Taylor_Fladgate 18
1994 Quinto de Vesuvio 2
1994 Graham's 6
1994 Dow 3

1995 Quinto de Vesuvio 2

1996 Chateau Reynella 11

I have an alarming gap looming pre 1994, to be filled with one off purchases of mature (1970,1977) bottles.

The 1994's were in ready supply in Alberta upon first release. The Taylor and Fonseca were ~$65CDN ($45USD) upon first release. Another release about 4 months later saw a price increase of $20 per bottle (after the twin 100 rankings were published).

Some 1994's are still on the shelves here, at $120CDN for the Dow and Graham's, $80 CDN for Smith-Woodhouse.

The Chateau Reynella is a screaming bargain - $28CDN for the current release (1996) and is a beautiful sip even now.

The big queation for me is when to start opening the 1994's? New Thread?

Cheers, Z

Wow, Bman, I can only ache with envy (whilst admiring the dedication that built the collection – and the self-restraint behind the fact that you haven’t drunk it all).

When it comes to Port, I’ll second your toot for BBR. This week, to my utter amazement, I discovered that they still had a small cache of 1983 Cockburn squirrelled away in their cellars. The price (despite 97 points from the unfairly berated Mr Suckling) was still £30 per bottle, duty and VAT paid (an even more astounding £25.50 for a minimum of 12 bottles). I did leave a few (according to their website, 6 bottles remain this afternoon).

Skwid: you’ll be pleased to know that BBR still have a wide range of 1994’s in stock, and at prices that - given the strength of demand for Vintage Port from the western side of the pond, the excellence of the 1994 vintage, and that just 2% of Port production is Vintage - would seem to be a model of restraint.

Joneswine is absolutely right, but how long can this Port pricing anomaly last? Enjoy it while you can.

ok, finely i got my pc fixed !

what's in my cellar?! :

1963 graham 1
1963 taylor 1

1970 graham 1
1970 fonseca 2
1970 taylor few

1977 dow 1
1977 fonseca few
1977 graham some
1977 taylor few

1983 cockburn some
1983 dow 2
1983 fonseca 2
1983 harveys few

1985 fonseca "quite a few"
1985 graham some
1985 taylor 3

1991 fonseca guimaraens 1
1991 niepoort 1,5

1992 fonseca 1
1992 niepoort few
1992 taylor 1

1994 fonseca quite a few
1994 graham some
1994 quinta do vesuvio qite a few
1994 romariz 1
1994 taylor many

1997 burmester qnd nossa 1

cheers!