For The Love Of Port

In my beginning Port days this was a favorite so I was thrilled to find a new version of this LBV (bottled 2015). New packaging in a squat, clear 500ml bottle with a T-cork. Filtered. Deep purplish red---quite clear. The nose is amazing and fills the room with a floral, berry compote. This port is a bit simple, lots of red berry with an undertone of leather; good mouthfeel. The finish is incredibly piquant--acidic and distracting. Keeps it out of the good category. In sum, this one starts of strong and cannot finish--the nose is the best aspect, the finish the least. At $22 and 500ml, not a good QPR as there are better options.

86 Points

Ah yes, the old charge 750ml prices but put it into a 500ml bottle. That is my pet peeve...a huge turn off. I've skipped several times buying Quinta do Vallado's 20 year tawny because of this.

Andy Velebil wrote:Ah yes, the old charge 750ml prices but put it into a 500ml bottle. That is my pet peeve...a huge turn off. I've skipped several times buying Quinta do Vallado's 20 year tawny because of this.

+1....but in this case when I had purchased the 750 for the 2003 version I paid $31 each so not too bad.....but is it expensive relative to others with stronger pedigrees

John M. wrote:

Andy Velebil wrote:Ah yes, the old charge 750ml prices but put it into a 500ml bottle. That is my pet peeve...a huge turn off. I've skipped several times buying Quinta do Vallado's 20 year tawny because of this.

+1....but in this case when I had purchased the 750 for the 2003 version I paid $31 each so not too bad.....but is it expensive relative to others with stronger pedigrees

Yes $31 is a bit pricey for a LBV

Andy Velebil wrote:Ah yes, the old charge 750ml prices but put it into a 500ml bottle. That is my pet peeve...a huge turn off. I've skipped several times buying Quinta do Vallado's 20 year tawny because of this.

Huge +1. A retailer I used to frequent mixed up their pricing for a while and had the LBV priced in line with the size (I think they thought they were all just the basic ruby). At that price, I thought it was a very nice Port. At $22 for 500ml, much less so.

Pricing between Ruby, Ruby Reserve and LBV makes no sense to me. Ruby to RR is just a couple dollars for much better quality....yet some LBVs are less than some RRs. And I'm talking typical pricing, not a big sale or buying op.

John M. wrote:Pricing between Ruby, Ruby Reserve and LBV makes no sense to me. Ruby to RR is just a couple dollars for much better quality....yet some LBVs are less than some RRs. And I'm talking typical pricing, not a big sale or buying op.

Here in WA it can be difficult to find base-level Ports, but when I see them a standard Ruby is typically $14-$15. A Ruby Reserve is typically in the $18-$24 range, while an LBV can be anywhere from $22-24 to as high as $35. Those are standard prices, not sales.

It's the sales that really mix things up, because an LBV on sale will sometimes be less than a Ruby Reserve.

Interesting---in general I find Rubies at $11 to $15; Reserves at $14 to $20, and LBVs at $17-30 in local B&M stores. (I just saw Noval Black under $15.00 before taxes--that was always about $18-$20). So there is overlap within the categories. Agree, though that sales really muddy the picture---especially when you can get a VP for $30 or less.