Port for sale at auction

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 20:10 Sun 17 May 2009

I’m not sure if this represents typical pickings on ebay (I only periodically look at Port on it) but there are a few magnums and old bottles on at the moment:

Magnum of Dow’s 1949, finishing 21st May, current price £43.00.

Magnum of Dow’s 1980, finishing 22nd May, current price £1 (buy-it-now: £55); also selling a Croft 1963 current price £23.22.

1947 Constantinos, finishing 22nd May, current price £100; also selling a 1934 Cepa Velha, finishing 20th May, current price £50.

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 11:17 Mon 18 May 2009

The seller of the Dows 1980 and and Croft 1963 used to have 2xDow 1977 for £50 buy it now. I was gutted that I didn't pick up any at the time. I sometimes have a search on ebay for port. What really surprises me is the amount of 1975's, people seem to think they can command a price of £40+ for a bottle of Dows. Even worse, people buy them.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 13:12 Mon 18 May 2009

Jacob,

Keep an eye on the ebay auctions for us. I have a poor view of the ebay auction route for acquiring port as prices are often extraordinarily high. As Alex M says, prices paid for 1975 ports are sometimes quite astonishing, but I often find that prices are very high and sometimes (often?) higher than would be paid at retail.

Perhaps you could post here what prices these bottle achieve?

Alex

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 13:19 Mon 18 May 2009

used to have 2xDow 1977 for £50 buy it now. I was gutted that I didn't pick up any at the time.

Gutt not - I can spare a few bottles @ £42 each..

Tom

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 13:32 Mon 18 May 2009

A few days ago I made a table of the bottles I had been watching that had been sold over the past few weeks:

House Vintage £ Size
Calem 1985 25 75
Dow 1980 50 150
Dow 1985 33 75
Fonseca 1970 51.12 75
Fonseca 1994 41(NS) 75
Fonseca 1983 43 75
Fonseca G 1984 60 75
Fonseca Panascal 1986 26 75
Grahams 1970 56 75
Niepoort 1952 Colheita 77 75
Quarles Harris 1977 25 75
Ramos Pinto 1983 LBV 10 75
Taylors 1977 67 75
Taylors 1981 LBV 37.03 150
Taylors 1960 61 75
Taylors Vargellas 1972 42 75
Taylors Vargellas 1988 10 75
Warres 1966 36 75
Warres 1985 20 75

Sorry its a bit off centre, I couldn't find an easier way of adding it.

Few jump out as great bargains, given that their provenance is questionable. I also missed the Fonseca Panascal 1986, i think that went for a good price.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 13:52 Mon 18 May 2009

Alex M wrote:A few days ago I made a table of the bottles I had been watching that had been sold over the past few weeks:

Sorry its a bit off centre, I couldn't find an easier way of adding it.

Few jump out as great bargains, given that their provenance is questionable. I also missed the Fonseca Panascal 1986, i think that went for a good price.

Do those prices include shipping?

AHB wrote:Keep an eye on the ebay auctions for us. I have a poor view of the ebay auction route for acquiring port as prices are often extraordinarily high. As Alex M says, prices paid for 1975 ports are sometimes quite astonishing, but I often find that prices are very high and sometimes (often?) higher than would be paid at retail.

Perhaps you could post here what prices these bottle achieve?

Sure, will do.

As both Alexs have pointed out, I've never thought of ebay as a good place to acquire bottles. The VPs are always pretty pricy, especially once one adds the £10-20 shipping that they usually command. I also worry about provinence; most bottles seem to be "back of the cupboard" in origin which militates against my desire to spend a lot of money on them.

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 14:04 Mon 18 May 2009

No shipping. Shipping seems to vary from £5-£15.

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 14:19 Mon 18 May 2009

As both Alexs have pointed out, I've never thought of ebay as a good place to acquire bottles.

Agreed - eBay's rather puritanical attitude to alcohol makes it the perfect place to offload dodgy bottles, as you are normally only allowed to sell a bottle as 'a collectible container' and not as something to be drunk. There is therefore no recourse..

I think they do have a route for wine merchants to sell for consumption, but few bottles seem to be offered in that manner..

Tom

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 19:43 Mon 18 May 2009

uncle tom wrote:Agreed - eBay's rather puritanical attitude to alcohol makes it the perfect place to offload dodgy bottles, as you are normally only allowed to sell a bottle as 'a collectible container' and not as something to be drunk. There is therefore no recourse..

Yes, though I wouldn’t attribute it to malice; I think most bottles are just ones that people have discovered in the backs of cupboards and the like which is why there seem to be a higher concentration of older LBVs than one might otherwise expect.

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 11:18 Wed 20 May 2009

To further the ebay tracking, a case of Taylors 1985 has just come up for £550 with a Buy It Now price of £650. A search on winesearcher reveals that the £650 is overpriced but the £550 is a respectful price considering the competition.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 12:14 Sat 23 May 2009

Final prices for those auctions:

Dow 1947: £205 (+£15P&P)Â¹
Dow 1955: £55 (+£15P&P)
Croft 1963: £100 (+£20P&P)
Constantinos 1947: unsold at £100 (+£20P&P)
Cepa Velha 1934: unsold at £50 (+£15P&P)Â²

Â¹: Turns out that this was a regular bottle and not a magnum, a ’47 not a ’49, with a level ‟just below the level of the neck”.
Â²: Closer inspection of the photographs suggest that this is a Colheita.

No real bargains and £120 for a Croft ’63 seems pretty steep...Not sure how much a Dow ’47 with a dodgy history is usually worth, though.

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 11:05 Mon 01 Jun 2009

Seller is listing these for sale on ebay.

Dow 1970 Vintage Port
Fonseca 1970 Vintage Port
Warre 1975 Vintage Port (x3) £20
Dow 1975 Vintage Port
Smith Woodhouse 1975 Vintage Port
Graham Malvedos 1976 Vintage Port (x2) £20
Dalva 1977 Vintage Port £20
Fonseca Guimaraens 1978 Vintage Port £25
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1978 Vintage Port £20
Warre 1980 Vintage Port £20
Royal Oporto 1980 Vintage £20
Port Royal Oporto 1982 Vintage Port 320
Warre 1983 Vintage Port £20
Taylor Quinta de Vargellas 1984 Vintage Port £20
Burmester Oporto 1985 Vintage Port £20
Smith Woodhouse 1985 Vintage Port £20

Postage is £12 per bottle. I was tempted to take a punt of the Vargellas but provence worries me.

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 15:14 Tue 16 Jun 2009

New Straker Chadwick catalogue is online for the sale on the 27th of June.

smisse · Post by **smisse** » 15:47 Wed 24 Jun 2009

Maybe interesting:
http://www.veilingsylvies.be/downloads/ ... 090627.pdf
Port included:
1968 Quinta do Vargella's Vintage Port, Taylors, 1 wax capsule broken
3 bottle(s) Per lot € 160-220
1935 Porto Constantino Vintage Port, Dom, 2 sdl, neck
3 bottle(s) Per lot € 190-250
1935 Porto Constantino Vintage Port, Dom, 1 sdl, 2 slightly torn labels, neck
3 bottle(s) Per lot € 190-250
1991 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port, Dom
4 bottle(s) Per lot € 100-150
1998 Silval Vintage Port, Quinta do Noval, Owc
6 bottle(s) Per lot € 120-180
1997 Skeffington VintageVintage Port, Dom, Owc
6 bottle(s) Per lot € 90-120

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 01:46 Sun 12 Jul 2009

Acker Auctions.

Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port - Vintage 1955
5lbsl, 3gsl, excellent color and condition
Above 4 bottles per lot $1200-1600
Minimum Bid: $ 900

Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port - Vintage 1970
2ts, 12lbsl, 12lgsl, 5spc, 12wc
Minimum Bid: $ 1100

Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port - Vintage 1992
owc
Current Winning Bid: $ 1450 (PRC4ME)
Next Winning Bid: $ 1500

Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port - Vintage 1963
12bsl, 12scc, 12crc
Minimum Bid: $ 2000

Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port - Vintage 1977
4bsl, 2hbsl, 6cc, 2sos
Current Winning Bid: $ 500 (ilyappa)
Next Winning Bid: $ 550
Number of bids: 1

Seppelt Para Liqueur Vintage Port - Vintage 1947
1sos
2 .738 liters per lot $200-260
Current Winning Bid: $ 160 (michel22)
Next Winning Bid: $ 170
Number of bids: 1

Graham's Vintage Port - Vintage 1963
Current Winning Bid: $ 160 (michel22)
Next Winning Bid: $ 170
Number of bids: 1

Niepoort Vintage Port - Vintage 2003
Above 3 half-bottles and 1 magnum per lot $90-120
Current Winning Bid: $ 90 (logres)
Next Winning Bid: $ 100
Number of bids: 4

Niepoort Vintage Port - Vintage 2003
6 magnums per lot $300-400

Current Winning Bid: $ 280 (subir)
Next Winning Bid: $ 300
Number of bids: 2

Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
- Vintage 1985 (1)
Smith Woodhouse Vintage Tawny Colheita Port
- Vintage 1986 (3)
- Vintage 1986 (1)
- Vintage 1986 (3)
Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
- Vintage 2003 (1)
Sandeman Port
- Vintage NV Founder's Reserve (2)
Blaufrankisch
- Vintage 2004 Heinrich (1)
Above 12 bottles per lot $160-240

Current Winning Bid: $ 220 (KenG)
Next Winning Bid: $ 240
Number of bids: 7

Some interesting stuff,
I've got the winning bid on the niepoort 2003 mags and will try and win it.

lngn2 · Post by **lngn2** » 10:13 Wed 29 Jul 2009

We've a modest selection up for auction next week on Bid for Wine (http://www.bidforwine.co.uk):

Burmester Colheita 1940
Calem Port (presumed LBV - special commerative bottling released in 1989)
Quinta de Vargellas 1982
Cruz Vintage Port 1989
Graham’s LBV 1984

There are reserves set on most of these lots but they're very modest as the buyer is keen to sell due to her pending emigration.

Any questions please do let me know!

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 17:12 Sat 01 Aug 2009

Recent ebay searched revealed:

1 x Quinta do Vesuvio 1991: Currently at £10.50.

1 x Sandeman 1977: Currently at 0.99p

1 x Cockburns 1963: Currently at £45

I'm planning to bid on the Vesuvio. I've recently been trying to acquire a few bottles of each Vesuvio Vintage, so if anybody knows of any going cheap or on offer, i'd be much obliged if you could send me a pm or post on here.

Thanks,

Alex

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 16:33 Sun 02 Aug 2009

I managed to get the 1991 Vesuvio for £11.60. At that price, given unknown provenance, I think it is worth it. Another lot up on ebay is a case of 1991 Noval VP. Bidding ends on the 4th and at the moment it's at £50.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 19:32 Sun 02 Aug 2009

Alex M wrote:I managed to get the 1991 Vesuvio for £11.60. At that price, given unknown provenance, I think it is worth it. Another lot up on ebay is a case of 1991 Noval VP. Bidding ends on the 4th and at the moment it's at £50.

Were you lucky enough not to have the price double with P&P?

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 14:38 Thu 13 Aug 2009

Someone, somewhere, has a large amount of Borges '80 to offload.

Over the last year or so it has been appearing regularly in provincial auctions, usually in six bottle lots. Now a fairly large parcel is coming up at Christies, and might go for a song.

Question is.. is it any good?

Has anyone had a chance to try this one?

Tom

RonnieRoots · Post by **RonnieRoots** » 15:07 Thu 13 Aug 2009

Never tried the 80' but did have the '82 once or twice. That one was very weak.

Post by **jdaw1** » 15:29 Thu 13 Aug 2009

The 1963 (e.g., e.g.) didn’t particularly impress.

Glenn E. · Post by **Glenn E.** » 03:22 Mon 28 Sep 2009

Brentwood Wines has a large (for them) collection of Ports up for auction right now. The auction closes on Wednesday at 11:00 am Pacific (19:00 GMT). Of note, they have 13 bottles of 1977 Dow with various quality levels with the "excellent" bottles having an opening bid of just $75.

They also have a 1963 Fonseca (current bid $230), nine 1963 Dows, seven 1963 Warres, and a smattering of slightly younger Ports including a handful of 1970 Taylors.

Port is part of the European auction, so you'll have to dig down to find it. For some reason every time I try to get a URL to post it includes my user name and password so I can't provide a direct link for you. My handle there is "knutliott" and the only active bid I have right now is on one bottle of 1970 Taylor.

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 16:14 Wed 30 Sep 2009

Fonseca 66 @150$

Glenn E. · Post by **Glenn E.** » 21:44 Wed 30 Sep 2009

g-man wrote:Fonseca 66 @150$

Score!

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 22:50 Wed 30 Sep 2009

Glenn E. wrote:
g-man wrote:Fonseca 66 @150$
Score!

only 1 bottle tho =(

SushiNorth · Post by **SushiNorth** » 15:49 Fri 29 Jan 2010

Upcoming hdh auction has a 6 pack of 2T94 and 4F94 and a 12pack of F85 that I'm bidding on.

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 16:37 Fri 29 Jan 2010

mm i might go for the 63 burmeister then

SushiNorth · Post by **SushiNorth** » 13:49 Sun 31 Jan 2010

Case of F85 hammered at 850 -- to me. Woohoo!
2T94+4F94 also hammered at 850, way over my bid.

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 17:52 Sun 31 Jan 2010

SushiNorth wrote:Case of F85 hammered at 850 -- to me. Woohoo!
2T94+4F94 also hammered at 850, way over my bid.

geez HAMMERED at 850?

Glenn E. · Post by **Glenn E.** » 20:29 Sun 31 Jan 2010

SushiNorth wrote:Case of F85 hammered at 850 -- to me. Woohoo!
2T94+4F94 also hammered at 850, way over my bid.

Yowza! Great deals on both!

SushiNorth · Post by **SushiNorth** » 20:12 Mon 01 Feb 2010

SushiNorth wrote:Case of F85 hammered at 850 -- to me. Woohoo!
2T94+4F94 also hammered at 850, way over my bid.

Glenn E. wrote:Yowza! Great deals on both!

g-man wrote:geez HAMMERED at 850?

Well, the 94's are WAY too much at that price. $170/bottle after the bp(buyers premium) and before shipping.
The F85's were reasonable, at about $85/bottle after the bp and before shipping. I've gotten them cheaper ($71 from WineConsigners and $81 from WineCommune Auction) but still cheaper than retail ($90-$100 min retail, the $73 folks dont have any). I'm happy, tho, one can't have too much F85 lol.

so, here are some #s.

Port Sold at Auction.
"Lot contents: Hammer (total with HDH's bp of 19.5%) [notes]"
12T83: 700 (836)
6D77+6T77: 800 (956)
6D83+6G83: 700 (836)
5Burmester63: 350 (418)
12T77: 1200 (1434) [1 base neck, 1 top shoulder, 5 slight signs past seepage]
12T77: 950 (1135) [3 top shoulder, 6 signs of past seepage]
1T45: 1100 (1314)
1NN63: 3200 (3824)
2NN97: 1200 (1434)
2T94+4F94: 850 (1015)
10T94: 1200 (1434)
2T63: 700 (836)
12F85: 850 (1015)
12G85: 900 (1075)

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 22:05 Mon 01 Feb 2010

yea was disappointed with the burmeisters thought I had a winnign bid with 300$

ah well

Glenn E. · Post by **Glenn E.** » 21:09 Tue 02 Feb 2010

SushiNorth wrote: The F85's were reasonable, at about $85/bottle after the bp

Oh, right, I always forget that stupid Buyer's Premium.

It's a form of false advertising to me. It should be included in the listed prices (and bids), not tacked on after the transaction has been sealed.

Chris Doty · Post by **Chris Doty** » 11:34 Thu 04 Feb 2010

The 85F is indeed a good hit, Sushi.

You see one or two bottles pop up here and there, but you always have to be skeptical of how those individual bottles have been stored (I have often found them in windows or other large displays as 'show' bottles).

Would love to add to my allocation at that price.

SushiNorth · Post by **SushiNorth** » 13:46 Thu 04 Feb 2010

Chris Doty wrote:...but you always have to be skeptical of how those individual bottles have been stored (I have often found them in windows or other large displays as 'show' bottles).

I just saw a bottle (not F85) like that. It was sitting on the shelf with a rounded capsule and an entirely sunbleached label. I kept thinking "Do they think they can really sell that??"

RonnieRoots · Post by **RonnieRoots** » 09:20 Tue 16 Feb 2010

At an auction at Syvies in Belgium the 27th of February, there is a reasonable amount of port. The following lots:

714 - estimate 500-700 euro
1x 1942 Niepoort Vintage
1x 1945 Niepoort Vintage
1x 1960 Niepoort Vintage
2x 1944 Souza Colheita (bottled 1972)

715 to 719 - estimate 400-550 per lot
5 lots of 12x 1970 Douro Shippers Vintage

720 - estimate 350-450 euro
10x 1970 Douro Shippers Vintage

721 - estimate 560-700
11x 1970 Graham Vintage

722 +723 - estimate 620-800 per lot
2 lots of 12x 1970 Graham Vintage

724 - estimate 200-280
1x 1987 Feuerheerd Vintage
2x 1987 Niepoort Vintage
3x 1991 Vesuvio Vintage
4x 1994 Quinta do Estanho Vintage
1x 1995 Quinta do Passadouro Vintage

777 - estimate 260-340
6x 1977 Hutcheson Vintage

778 - estimate 500-700
12x 1977 Lopez Vintage

779 - estimate 280-380
6x 1970 Borges Vintage

780 - estimate 480-600
12x 1970 Borges Vintage

781 - estimate 160-240
1x 1970 Amandio Vintage
2x 1975 Niepoort Petres Vintage
3x 1980 Real Vinicola Vintage
2x 1983 Real Vinicola Vintage

782 - estima 220-300
3x 1980 Lopez Vintage
4x 1983 Lopez Vintage
5x 1991 Souza Vintage

783 - estimate 380-500
5x 1957 Niepoort Petres Colheita
1x 1965 Feuerheerd Colheita
1x 1966 Montebello Colheita
1x NV Messias 30YOT

784 - estimate 100-150
6x Niepoort 1980 Colheita

Lot 714 is the most special, without a doubt. I would love to put a bid in to secure the 1942 and 1945 Niepoort, but timing is bad, unfortunately.

The other thing that struck me, is the sheer number of completely unknown names (to me, at least): Lopez? Montebello? Amandio? Never heard of them.

Post by **jdaw1** » 18:28 Tue 16 Feb 2010

Is it worth asking the auctioneer for photos of the oddly named bottles?

RonnieRoots · Post by **RonnieRoots** » 19:41 Tue 16 Feb 2010

You can do that through their website I believe. BTW, if you're interested in attending, the auction house is close to Antwerp. But you can also choose to bid online and have the wines delivered to you.

Alex M · Post by **Alex M** » 10:35 Tue 06 Jul 2010

Auction on 12th July @ Sworders, Cambridgeshire.

Catalogue:

http://www.sworder.co.uk/pdf/wine-sale-12-jun-2010.pdf

Some interesting lots. Anybody going to be bidding?

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 13:33 Tue 06 Jul 2010

Lot 177
Taylors Quinta De Vargello, 1967,
twelve bottles (boxed) £750 - £950

Glenn E. · Post by **Glenn E.** » 16:04 Tue 06 Jul 2010

JacobH wrote:
Lot 177
Taylors Quinta De Vargello, 1967,
twelve bottles (boxed) £750 - £950

Spelling error aside, it's good stuff. Might be worth finding out whether it is the 1969 or 1970 bottling. That price looks great from a US perspective.

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 16:58 Tue 06 Jul 2010

Glenn E. wrote:
JacobH wrote:
Lot 177
Taylors Quinta De Vargello, 1967,
twelve bottles (boxed) £750 - £950

Spelling error aside, it's good stuff. Might be worth finding out whether it is the 1969 or 1970 bottling. That price looks great from a US perspective.

Hmm...I thought the last time I bought some of this, retail, it was about £35 a bottle. Their estimate is well over double that, which seems pretty high for an auction (and especially as their other estimates are quite low).

Glenn E. · Post by **Glenn E.** » 17:54 Tue 06 Jul 2010

JacobH wrote:
Glenn E. wrote:
JacobH wrote:
Lot 177
Taylors Quinta De Vargello, 1967,
twelve bottles (boxed) £750 - £950

Spelling error aside, it's good stuff. Might be worth finding out whether it is the 1969 or 1970 bottling. That price looks great from a US perspective.
Hmm...I thought the last time I bought some of this, retail, it was about £35 a bottle. Their estimate is well over double that, which seems pretty high for an auction (and especially as their other estimates are quite low).

That probably is high for the UK... but the last time I purchased a bottle over here it was $150.

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 08:46 Wed 07 Jul 2010

Vargellas '67 is a decent mature port which comes to auction surprisingly frequently - both English bottled and Oporto.

A good price for this lot would be £300, and over £400 would be too much. However, sometimes high estimates can prompt high bids - two cases of the Vargellas '64 were estimated at £600 in a Strakers sale not so long ago, and both topped that amount..

I have twenty bottles of TV67 downstairs, so I won't be bidding for that lot unless someone wants me to bid for them. This sale is only five miles from here, so I will be there in person. Depending on their condition, I plan to bid seriously on several lots.

If anyone is interested in any of these items, please send me an email or PM

Tom

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 13:19 Wed 07 Jul 2010

Acker's has an incredible line up of Noval nacionals.

I was the high bid, but I believe the FTLOP guys may be looking at the same bid.

Lot 6666 at ackerwines.com

I'm curious, but the lot does sound a little fishy to me and it looks like it may run away from me.

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 13:57 Wed 07 Jul 2010

Lot 6666 at ackerwines.com

The estimate appears to be out by a factor of ten..

I would want much more information about the condition of the bottles (not that I ever buy from US salerooms)

Tom

JacobH · Post by **JacobH** » 16:05 Wed 07 Jul 2010

Glenn E. wrote:
JacobH wrote:
Glenn E. wrote:
JacobH wrote:
Lot 177
Taylors Quinta De Vargello, 1967,
twelve bottles (boxed) £750 - £950

Spelling error aside, it's good stuff. Might be worth finding out whether it is the 1969 or 1970 bottling. That price looks great from a US perspective.
Hmm...I thought the last time I bought some of this, retail, it was about £35 a bottle. Their estimate is well over double that, which seems pretty high for an auction (and especially as their other estimates are quite low).
That probably is high for the UK... but the last time I purchased a bottle over here it was $150.

We need to arrange an emergency airlift of Vargellas 1967 over to the states!

g-man · Post by **g-man** » 16:29 Wed 07 Jul 2010

JacobH wrote:
Glenn E. wrote:
JacobH wrote:
Glenn E. wrote:
JacobH wrote:
Lot 177
Taylors Quinta De Vargello, 1967,
twelve bottles (boxed) £750 - £950

Spelling error aside, it's good stuff. Might be worth finding out whether it is the 1969 or 1970 bottling. That price looks great from a US perspective.
Hmm...I thought the last time I bought some of this, retail, it was about £35 a bottle. Their estimate is well over double that, which seems pretty high for an auction (and especially as their other estimates are quite low).
That probably is high for the UK... but the last time I purchased a bottle over here it was $150.
We need to arrange an emergency airlift of Vargellas 1967 over to the states!

I got a bottle of this at harry's steak house I think for 175$ during ym bday dinner (I think it was the 67)

Andy Velebil · Post by **Andy Velebil** » 00:59 Thu 08 Jul 2010

In regard to the 1967 Vargellas...From drinking experience, over the past 2-3 years all the bottles I've had have shown an excessive amount of heat and have been average at best. All from bottles in excellent conditions and a variety of sources. I fear this VP has passed it's prime and is now on a slow downhill slide as earlier bottles of this showed far better than those in the past couple years. Just thought I'd throw that out there before someone spends a whole lot of cash on some and possibly ends up with a less than idealistic experience.