Rarest port in the world ?

[Richard Henderson]

Deryk, I do travel to the UK. I could bring my first born in trade but you would have to pay for the university education!

[SEAN C.]

The most expensive is probably the 1931 Noval Nacional..the rarest however is probably not the most expensive ...To me the rarest would have to be any 1815 vintage because this is the oldest known and confirmed Port to exist in the world currently. I have only heard stories of older Port existing..
The 1927 Fonseca is very hard to find ..although I do no where there are a few lying around..and it's not my cellar!



A few rare bottles: 1834 (unknown shipper)


the ultra rare 1851 Warre:

another:

[Derek T.]

Deryk, I do travel to the UK. I could bring my first born in trade but you would have to pay for the university education!

Richard,

Unfortunately, it is not me who owns this, but I can tell you it tastes very nice

Derek

[Roy Hersh]

Yes, I remember well, from the first time Tom mentioned he owned the '27 Fonseca bottle. He showed it to me in Oct. when visiting his home and cellar and it was very cool even to see a bottle of it.

[John Danza]

I can get a port from 1851 from an unknow shipper for € 525, pretty rare also i think but the unknown shipper worries me.

Hi Erik,

I don't think that's a bad price at all for an 1851 in decent condition. I wouldn't worry about the shipper necessarily as much as I would look hard at the bottle's condition. The 1851 was a very solid year and if the bottle was stored properly, it'll still be alive. If you're not interested in it, send me a PM on where to locate it. I might give it a tumble.

All the best,
John

[Paul_B]

Hi all,

lots of VP answers but what about ancient colheitas or garrafeira wouldn't that be pretty rare?

Also when I was a kid I recall very vaguely reading about 100 year old ports but I don't recall if they were single year or blends. I read this in a Wine/Port book in Portugal.

Thanks
Paul

[Alan Gardner]

Sub-topic - which is the rarest port that might still be available?

From Taylor's website: (and discovered when researching for wed's 1970 Port tasting)

"TAYLOR’S QUINTA DE VARGELLAS 1970
VINTAGE PORT
Background information
This is a very rare wine which, in theory, does not exist. Taylor's never makes a single quinta wine from the Vargellas estate in years when they 'declare' a classic vintage. This is because ports made at Vargellas are vital to the final Taylor classic vintage.
This said, there has been one exception, 1970.
When the company was informed of the project to dam the river Douro to aid navigation and provide electricity it knew that it would lose a key part of Vargellas. The part that would be submerged were all the vineyards below the railway line. These old terraces contained vines that were planted soon after the company purchased the property in 1893. The total production of this area was 35 pipes.
When the final blend for the Taylor 1970 was being prepared in 1972, it included wines made from the soon to be flooded vineyard. A single pipe (62 cases) from this venyard was bottled off separately. This has been matured in the cellars of Taylor's in Vila Nova de Gaia ever since.
It has not been tasted by many people and has never been sold. The vintage is now at a perfect stage of maturity."

So a challenge for someone (anyone) to acquire this!

[Al B.]

TAYLOR’S QUINTA DE VARGELLAS 1970
VINTAGE PORT
Background information
This is a very rare wine which, in theory, does not exist. Taylor's never makes a single quinta wine from the Vargellas estate in years when they 'declare' a classic vintage. This is because ports made at Vargellas are vital to the final Taylor classic vintage.
This said, there has been one exception, 1970.
When the company was informed of the project to dam the river Douro to aid navigation and provide electricity it knew that it would lose a key part of Vargellas. The part that would be submerged were all the vineyards below the railway line. These old terraces contained vines that were planted soon after the company purchased the property in 1893. The total production of this area was 35 pipes.
When the final blend for the Taylor 1970 was being prepared in 1972, it included wines made from the soon to be flooded vineyard. A single pipe (62 cases) from this venyard was bottled off separately. This has been matured in the cellars of Taylor's in Vila Nova de Gaia ever since.
It has not been tasted by many people and has never been sold. The vintage is now at a perfect stage of maturity."

So a challenge for someone (anyone) to acquire this!

I was lucky enough to try some of this on Valentine's Day. A beautiful port.

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

I would guess that some of the "obscure" vintages from the European War years would also be pretty rare. 1942 has all but vanished from the secondary market, I have only seen one port from that vintage in the last 10 years.

1942 Graham Vintage Port Victory Year 1945 btld 750 ml WS89 MB***
65th birthday or anniversary
1 available at $1229.99 (regular price $1414.49)

1942 Graham—direct link (recent email said it was in stock; website now says not).

[Roy Hersh]

Hey Julian,

Nice to see you here and welcome back!

I have only had one bottle of 1942 VP. Alex mentioned that vintage as the "rarest" and who can argue?

I'd have to agree that this is not a vintage that is easy to find (to say the least). When Dirk came to join me in Seattle for a great weekend tasting in 2003, I reached out ahead of time and asked him to please bring the 1942 with him. It was a real pleasure and a privilege to drink that wine, with him and other friends. I have not seen another bottle of '42 since that time and don't expect to here in the States.

[Giles W]

The rarest port (but not the most valuable by any means) in the world is the Taylors Quinta De Vargellas 1969. It was the year they had a landslide on the hill and very very little was made. Even at Taylors they don't have a bottle!

[Erik Wiechers]

Hello Giles,

thats interesting. Thanks for the comment.

[Justin K]

As previously mentioned I have a bottle of Dow's 1940 which I bought about 20 years ago. I corresponded with Mr Symington; it was probably part of a private bottling by one of the clubs in London. I have no idea what it will taste like but I am a patient man and am keeping it until 2040!

[*thadayFeart]

Certainly the Warre 1924 would have to be in the running. An absolute stunner of a wine after 82 years in bottle. Tasted in Lisbon at an event held by the Syms at the Porto Palacio last year. I heard they used 3 of the last remaining bottles in their personal stash.

[Derek T.]

I have a bottle of Sandeman Ruby Port that is believed to have been bottled prior to 1936. Given that it was bottled for early drinking, and 70 years have past since, it is highly unlikely that another bottle from this run survives today.

I am sure there are many other lone bottles of ruby or simple tawny port out there that have survived as a result of standing or lying unnoticed in cellars or drinks cabinets for decades. Perhaps these are the rarest ports of all?

Derek

[Todd Pettinger]

I have a bottle of Sandeman Ruby Port that is believed to have been bottled prior to 1936. Given that it was bottled for early drinking, and 70 years have past since, it is highly unlikely that another bottle from this run survives today.

How was this Port when you tried it Derek?

I'm going to stick some basic and some unfiltered LBVs into the walls when I eventually build my house. I'll let the kids know that when I die they should probably open the drywall to see if there is anything there of interest. Perhaps they or any grandkids will have a very rare bottle in 60 or 70 years!

Todd

[Derek T.]

I have a bottle of Sandeman Ruby Port that is believed to have been bottled prior to 1936. Given that it was bottled for early drinking, and 70 years have past since, it is highly unlikely that another bottle from this run survives today.

How was this Port when you tried it Derek?

I'm going to stick some basic and some unfiltered LBVs into the walls when I eventually build my house. I'll let the kids know that when I die they should probably open the drywall to see if there is anything there of interest. Perhaps they or any grandkids will have a very rare bottle in 60 or 70 years!

Todd

I haven't tried it. I bought this single bottle on Ebay for just a few £ about 3 years ago. I will probably never drink it as it is one of those bottles that gives more pleasure to own that it ever could to drink. If I had 2 I would taste it, but I don't. One day I hope to have a proper cellar which will include a small corner in which bottles like this can be displayed "museum-style" - it will be like my own little VNG Visitors Centre under the floor

Derek

[Al B.]

At a London offline in spring 2007, we did try a bottle of what we believe to be was Ruby or Reserve port bottled around the end of the second world war - it was in that characteristic brown glass beer bottle shape with a cork T-stopper. The port was perfectly drinkable, but was faded and delicate and showed distinctly tawny characteristics.

I would suspect that a bottle of ruby port 10 years older than that would not be much different.

Alex

[Roy Hersh]

Anyone else? I am not so sure that the 1815 vintage would not qualify as the rarest in the world. Certainly not many left.