For The Love Of Port

1860 Unknown Producer Vintage Port -- shipped by Loeb
Frank, knowing my love of Ports, graciously saved me a few glasses of this ultra rare vintage from a bottle he opened at a dinner he hosted recently. The only tasting notes for an 1860 Vintage Port are two by Michael Broadbent and both are the same Unknown Producer, shipped by Loeb. I assume they must be the same bottles as I’ve yet to find any records of any 1860 Vintage Port being sold.

The color of this old Port was a light tan with green edges. A very herbal nose reminded me of Chartreuse yet there was also the unmistakable scent of sweet toffee. Pine needles and cedar dominate the palate, which had no noticeable tannins left. While a bit hot, it still had good acidity to keep this medium bodied VP fresh. The finish, while not long or complex, showed some dried almonds. Obviously well past its peak, yet I had a hard time not drinking it. I guess you could say the curiosity of drinking such an old and rare vintage outweighed any of its short comings.
87 points

Andy,
Is there a chance this was a Colheita?
The green rim makes me think of cask aged.

Eric Ifune wrote:Andy,
Is there a chance this was a Colheita?
The green rim makes me think of cask aged.

There is always that possibility with any Port this old. In the 1800's there was no requirement to bottle a Vintage Port within 2-3 years like there is now. So it quite possibly was in cask longer than a VP from modern times. But the very old hand typed Loeb label clearly stated "Vintage Port" on it so I have to go by that.