For The Love Of Port

We all love to talk about the great scoring things out there. But lets face it, we all have that one bottle that just doesn't score so well. It can be a professional raters score or something like a Cellartracker community score. It can be any type of Port.

So, what is your lowest scoring Port in your cellar?

Mine is a 1984 Hoopers VP. Cellartracker community score of 81.5 Points

I just might have you beaten. 1980 Tuke Holdsworth VP. I can't find a score online, but it was ghastly the last time we dared try it. And we still have two more to go.

Janet Ainsworth wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2019 11:12 am I just might have you beaten. 1980 Tuke Holdsworth VP. I can't find a score online, but it was ghastly the last time we dared try it. And we still have two more to go.

Pretty sure you've got me beat on that one. LOL.

Lowest scoring by professional/critics I don't know, but I do know my own lowest-scoring port which was not faulty that I have tasted, and I have two more of in my cellar, and that would be Cruz 1989 vintage port. I purchased three bottles in a french supermarket several years ago at around 12 euros each. I had hoped it was a bargain; it was not. I didn't have high expectations given the year, and they weren't met. To be fair, after 48hrs it did become drinkable; my tasting note:

Tasting Note
0h post-decent : Very harsh, cherries, cough mixture and very very hot
12h post-decant : about the same, didn't want to drink it at this point
36h post-decant : integrated slightly, still too hot, cough mixture waning, quite dry, still didn't want to drink it...
48h post-decant : reasonably integrated now; drinkable and tastes like a medium to good quality LBV, cherries, very dry, slightly smoother than most LBV now the alcohol has integrated, but slightly odd aftertaste.

Funnily enough I've never got round to opening the second bottle, let alone the third.

Burmester 2003 vintage.

I know there is an '85 Hoopers VP somewhere in my cellar. Can't seem to find it. That has to be the worst unless if I can find an '85 Porto Morgado VP which would be cruel horizontal. Elevate it with an '85 Calem & Croft and that is some port tasting!

85 Borges VP. I purchased a case for a song, thinking 'how bad could it be?' The answer? Consistently grim. I eventually came to the conclusion that the entire case had been cooked. Building upon my initial error of judgement, I went out and bought another bottle in order to test the 'cooked' theory and ... well, what I bought in the first instance would appear to conform to the prevailing quality standard. The various Messias Cachao which I have in the cellar have proved to be highly-uneven in quality, and frequently poor. The same can be said of the Quinta do Castelinho VPs, which I have at least shown the good sense not to stock.

We now know what 1985's not to put into a tasting! Keep em coming folks.

1988 Taylor Vargellas. Maybe it will be better in 20 years, so I am holding onto it.

I also have a 1980 Tuke Holdsworth.

I still have one or two 1970 Royal Oporto but I think those were damaged. I've consistently rated bottles from this purchase of 8 at about 83 points.

One of the first VPs that I ever purchased is still in my cellar, and I don't have high expectations. It's a 1977 Royal Oporto.

FOR SALE: 8 bottles of Real Vinicola 1983 - tastes like vomit - free to a good home

Derek T. wrote:FOR SALE: 8 bottles of Real Vinicola 1983 - tastes like vomit - free to a good home

Perhaps you should work on your sales pitch.

I've got some Vargellas 1958 and 1961 in the cellar, both of which have been given scores of less than 70. I'm not sure what the source(s) of the scores were; it could have been my previous experience or it could have come from a book (like Suckling) or a magazine or website.

I have two '60 Hooper's VP in my cellar. I had "won" 3 at an auction for a very cheap price and now I know why. No bueno.

Reading through this thread I also realize I have an '85 Real Vinicola. I bought 2 of them very cheaply, and again, I quickly learned why.

1985 Quinta do Noval VP. Score aside, it is just fair at best and imo, the Souza 1985 is even better.

I am the proud possessor of a bottle of Offley 1972, which I inherited from a great aunt. I am still trying to work out what I did to offend her...

Jasper May wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:09 am I am the proud possessor of a bottle of Offley 1972, which I inherited from a great aunt. I am still trying to work out what I did to offend her...

I have tried that once. Just once. I hope never to repeat.

Jasper May wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2020 11:09 am I am the proud possessor of a bottle of Offley 1972

Is it even proper to say "I think we have a winner" in this circumstance?

Roy Hersh wrote: ↑Tue Dec 31, 2019 6:00 pm 1985 Quinta do Noval VP. Score aside, it is just fair at best and imo, the Souza 1985 is even better.

Hey--don't insult the Souza!! I like my Souza's a lot. Not great but very serviceable.

Toss up between the 31 Noval and 31 Noval Nacional....

My cellar is small and I really don't have anything known to be "bad"....so maybe it my Souza's after all (Sorry Roy). I have had a fair number of "science experiments"..a.k.a. the odd bottle of Port stuck in someones cabinet for decades and they give to me. Examples include 1955 Harvey's Gold Cap, Corgo Ruby, and Hooper's Lord Mayor LBV...all were truly awful but remain undeterred. But right now, just good stuff.