ThePortForum.com

Here Old Bridge talks about the port that he has most of in his cellar. That made me wonder what our favourite port was collectively - what do we have most of in our cellars? I had a quick look at my cellar list and found that I have more (half) bottles of Croft 2004 LBV than anything else! I clearly gave into temptation when Tesco discounted their stocks a few years ago.

In terms of vintage port, it's a tie between Fonseca 1985, Sainsbury Taste the Difference 2003 (the 2011 release, just in case it's different from the current release) and Quinta do Vesuvio 1994. Not a bad trio of ports to be seeing me through to my dotage.

I first thought it was Vargellas 1991 VP, but a quick check showed that I have a couple more of the Croft Q. da Roeda 2005

Warre LBV1986, Fonseca 1970, Fonseca 1985 & Croft 1970 all in first equal place

For me it is O-PORT-UNIDADE in various formats..

Undisputed first place - Graham 1994; then Fonseca 1985, Offley Boa Vista 1994 and Graham 1970, where only a few bottles differ between second and fourth place.

Warre 1986 LBV and F70 top, then W70, W77 and F85 all in equal third.

F85 top, then Martinez 94 followed by G94.

Hmm... I would have to say that I'm not sure because I don't have an accurate inventory!

That said, I suspect the answer is 1987 Porto Souza. I had some in inventory (~6 bottles), purchased 2 more cases, and have since consumed a few. So I probably have around 2 cases left, which is a lot for me.

Others where I have 12-15 bottles:

1964 Krohn Colheita Branco
1964 Noval Colheita
1976 Krohn Colheita (not sure about this one... I may be under a case left)
1987 Kopke Colheita (mixed bottles, but at least 24 x 375 and a couple of 750s)
S. Leonardo 40 Year Old Tawny Port (do I get to count the one that's open on the kitchen counter?)
Quinta do Mourao "60" Very Old Tawny Port (I think 10 x 750 and 6 x 500)
2003 Noval VP
1997 Porto Souza
1995 Porto Souza
1994 Vesuvio VP
1985 Graham VP
1985 Fonseca VP (I find these scattered all throughout my fridges, but it may not actually add up to 12 total)

Sadly, 2011 Graham's Stone Terraces no longer makes the list. Though I've owned 14 over time, I think I only have 11 left.

Oh, but I did just arrange shipping for 4 x 4-packs of 2014 Quevedo!

An interesting question and a surprising result:

1st - T03 just too tempting at a ridiculous price last year
2nd = F70 and T85

The only VP I have in excess of 12 bottles of is Vesuvio 1994.

Of VP, I bought heavily into the 2009 vintage, and the Skeffington '09 is the only VP I have over 100 bottles of..

uncle tom wrote: ↑20:58 Tue 03 Oct 2017 Of VP, I bought heavily into the 2009 vintage, and the Skeffington '09 is the only VP I have over 100 bottles of..

Planning a big party for 2109?

Planning a big party for 2109?

I'm quietly confident that the '09s (and the Taylor in particular) have the depth and integrity to show very well, come their centenary..

uncle tom wrote: ↑16:43 Wed 04 Oct 2017

Planning a big party for 2109?

I'm quietly confident that the '09s (and the Taylor in particular) have the depth and integrity to show very well, come their centenary..

A bit OT, but do you think T09 will outlive T11?

ps. Winesearcher seems to think so by a fair bit.

A bit OT, but do you think T09 will outlive T11?

I think T09 has the potential to be one of those VPs that emerges as a true classic. It is an exceptionally dark and intense wine.

uncle tom wrote: ↑18:34 Wed 04 Oct 2017 A bit OT, but do you think T09 will outlive T11?

I think T09 has the potential to be one of those VPs that emerges as a true classic. It is an exceptionally dark and intense wine.

Thank you, uncle tom.

If we're only talking about bottles that I have to hand in my 'cellar' at home then (having undertaken a recent inventory) I don't have double figures of any bottle as I have been trying to concentrate on breadth rather than depth; the most I have is nine bottles of the Sainsbury TTD 03.

idj123 wrote: ↑12:01 Thu 05 Oct 2017 If we're only talking about bottles that I have to hand in my 'cellar' at home then (having undertaken a recent inventory) I don't have double figures of any bottle as I have been trying to concentrate on breadth rather than depth; the most I have is nine bottles of the Sainsbury TTD 03.

And what if we're not only talking about bottles that you have to hand in your "cellar" at home? We noticed those weasel words to allow you wriggle room.

AHB wrote: ↑13:04 Thu 05 Oct 2017

idj123 wrote: ↑12:01 Thu 05 Oct 2017 If we're only talking about bottles that I have to hand in my 'cellar' at home then (having undertaken a recent inventory) I don't have double figures of any bottle as I have been trying to concentrate on breadth rather than depth; the most I have is nine bottles of the Sainsbury TTD 03.

And what if we're not only talking about bottles that you have to hand in your "cellar" at home? We noticed those weasel words to allow you wriggle room.

In that case it's likely to be (no overall inventory undertaken) the Dow 94 probably followed by either the Vesuvio 94 or Warre 70.

Interesting. I appear to have most of Niepoort 77, followed by Fonseca 03 and Dow 07.

Bit left field
Croft 2000
Niepoort 2005
Vesuvio 2006
Graham 1970

My quantities are much lower than most members, but the port I [will] have most of will be 12 bottles of the Graham Malvedos 2015 Vintage if and when it is released, as I had a port bond from this year to celebrate my wedding. The port i actually have the most of in my procession is Sandeman 2000 VP.

Taylor 2009
Graham 1994 (there was a time when vast quantities were available for a remarkably low price)
Fonseca 2009
Fonseca 2000

I kind of wish I had waited for the 2011 to come out, and bought more heavily then; then again, by the time the 2011 is mature, I will probably be well past ripe.

Of what is drinking nicely now...

Graham 1977
Graham 1970
Dow 1985
Fonseca 1963

After the most resent buys:
Smith Woodhouse traditionel LBV 2003 bottle matured
Taylor Vintage Port 2009
Cálem Vintage Port 1985

In that order.

Alex Bridgeman wrote: ↑12:24 Mon 02 Oct 2017 Here Old Bridge talks about the port that he has most of in his cellar. That made me wonder what our favourite port was collectively - what do we have most of in our cellars? I had a quick look at my cellar list and found that I have more (half) bottles of Croft 2004 LBV than anything else! I clearly gave into temptation when Tesco discounted their stocks a few years ago.

In terms of vintage port, it's a tie between Fonseca 1985, Sainsbury Taste the Difference 2003 (the 2011 release, just in case it's different from the current release) and Quinta do Vesuvio 1994. Not a bad trio of ports to be seeing me through to my dotage.

I was curious this afternoon and wondered how my top 3 Ports might have changed in the years since I last posted.

Interestingly, the Croft 2004 halves have done their job as a cellar defender and I only have 20 left. My top 3 Ports have changed very slightly and are now

1. Sainsbury Taste the Difference 2003
2. Quinta do Vesuvio 2000
3. Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
4. Fonseca 1985

I've been drinking the Vesuvio 1994 and Fonseca 1985 while the 2003 and 2000 have been sitting in Seckfords gaining a little more maturity. It might be time to pull them out...

Quantity wise, my top Port would be the 1994 Fonseca followed by the 1994 Vesuvio and 1985 Fonseca. I also have a fair bit of 1977 Smith Woodhouse and 1980 Dow.

Glenn E. wrote: ↑15:03 Tue 03 Oct 2017 That said, I suspect the answer is 1987 Porto Souza. I had some in inventory (~6 bottles), purchased 2 more cases, and have since consumed a few. So I probably have around 2 cases left, which is a lot for me.

Others where I have 12-15 bottles:

1964 Krohn Colheita Branco
1964 Noval Colheita
1976 Krohn Colheita (not sure about this one... I may be under a case left)
1987 Kopke Colheita (mixed bottles, but at least 24 x 375 and a couple of 750s)
S. Leonardo 40 Year Old Tawny Port (do I get to count the one that's open on the kitchen counter?)
Quinta do Mourao "60" Very Old Tawny Port (I think 10 x 750 and 6 x 500)
2003 Noval VP
1997 Porto Souza
1995 Porto Souza
1994 Vesuvio VP
1985 Graham VP
1985 Fonseca VP (I find these scattered all throughout my fridges, but it may not actually add up to 12 total)

Sadly, 2011 Graham's Stone Terraces no longer makes the list. Though I've owned 14 over time, I think I only have 11 left.

I still don't have an accurate inventory, but things have changed quite a bit since 2017! Most of the Ports that I listed the first time around have been drunk down under a 6-pack.

If I draw the line at 2 cases, my list looks like this:

1987 Porto Souza is still around 2 cases. This is our Anniversary year, so these are meant to be consumed about 1/year, but we've been drinking down the previously mentioned 1987 Kopke Colheitas instead.

1985 Graham and Fonseca, and 1994 Vesuvio, have all been stocked up. I now have between 2 and 3 cases of each, with Fonseca being the closest to 3 cases.

I briefly had about 2 cases of DR 40 Year old, but have since shared and drunk several. I bought the last 18 bottles that they had when they announced that they were going to stop making it in favor of their new 50 Year Old. I'm probably back down to about a dozen now.

But really the biggest change since 2017 is my supply of Graham's The Stone Terraces. At the time of this thread in 2017, GST15 was only just starting to arrive in the US. As they were released, I purchased 2.5 cases of each vintage (including tregnums) and back-filled the 2011 up to 2 full cases. I've opened bottles for verticals with each new release, but even so I still have over 2 cases of 2015, 2016, and 2017, and IIRC I should have 14-16 bottles of 2011 left. I only purchased 15 bottles of 2021 when it was released because they dramatically increased the price.

I have almost enough (i.e. a case or more) of

Warre 1977
Fonseca 1985
Taylor 1992
Vesuvio 1994
Warre 1994
Niepoort 2000
Warre 2003
M&S 2007
M&S 2011
Croft 2011
Fonseca 2011
Niepoort 2017

I'm pretty content with that as a range for future drinking.

winesecretary wrote: ↑11:17 Thu 10 Jul 2025 I have almost enough (i.e. a case or more) of

Warre 1977
Fonseca 1985
Taylor 1992
Vesuvio 1994
Warre 1994
Niepoort 2000
Warre 2003
M&S 2007
M&S 2011
Croft 2011
Fonseca 2011
Niepoort 2017

I'm pretty content with that as a range for future drinking.

That strikes me as a very nicely balanced cellar for both current and future drinking. 12 different Ports, 12 months in a year...

I don't believe I have more than a case of anything, but that may exclude the M&S 2007 bonanza a while back - those bottles have yet to be counted as part of my audit because I managed to smash a bottle of 2017 Bulas and was then very sad and unable to continue. I believe I have (close to) full 12 bottle cases of the following:

Graham 1977
Dow 1991
Dow 1997
Warre 2000 (I may also have some half bottles of this)

I have plenty of half cases from 2011 onwards, but tended to buy variety rather than one single producer.

@Alex - I keep getting distracted by the other 100+ different ports in the cellar... although I did have a bottle of Fonseca 1985 a couple of weeks ago and reflected yet again on what a splendid port it was for the comparatively modest outlay.

@rich_n - halves of Warre 2000 are a splendid thing

I have a very scattered lot of Port, with most under the dozen.
The following are two dozen or more.
Really went to town on the Crusted and ended up buying over 5 dozen and I'm working my way through them (slowlyl).

Grahams 2013 Crusted
M & S 2011
Dows 2000
Sainsburys 2003
Dows Bomfim 2013
Dows Bomfim 2010
Grahams Malvedos 2015

winesecretary wrote: ↑19:48 Thu 10 Jul 2025 @rich_n - halves of Warre 2000 are a splendid thing

I'll add one to the list to be opened soon, although I have some other halves and a Dow 1991 on there too.

Probably the 1995 Smith Woodhouse Madelena
I have more 1995 Taylor Vargellas but those are half bottles (I had a case of 24, but have drunk or given away some)

These are great QPR Ports so easy to stock up on them. Cannot have enough of the 95 SWm in my book....so solid and usually can get for a song and a story.

No change in my top 3 ports by volume . I have hardly touched any of them . Way too young

The one's I have the most of:

1985 Ferreira VP
1985 Fonseca VP
1970 Grahams VP
1994 Ramos Pinto VP (of both quintas)
1970 Croft VP

My top 6:

1983 Ramos Pinto VP
1997 Graham VP
1985 Gould Campbell VP
1994 Offley Boa Vista VP
2003 Croft VP
1985 Fonseca VP

A mixture of eclectic, bargain hunting, and what I should have bought

All of those Ports that I have a ready inventory of, I have over 30 bottles of the following:

Cr70
D70
G77
SW77
T85
D94
W94
V97

idj123 wrote: ↑08:02 Sat 26 Jul 2025 All of those Ports that I have a ready inventory of, I have over 30 bottles of the following:

Cr70
D70
G77
SW77
T85
D94
W94
V97

That's a really nice selection, Ian. I've tried all of them (and they're all good) except for the Croft 1970. How is it?

Mike J. W. wrote: ↑14:50 Sat 26 Jul 2025

idj123 wrote: ↑08:02 Sat 26 Jul 2025 All of those Ports that I have a ready inventory of, I have over 30 bottles of the following:

Cr70
D70
G77
SW77
T85
D94
W94
V97

That's a really nice selection, Ian. I've tried all of them (and they're all good) except for the Croft 1970. How is it?

Like 99% of the 1970s, it’s very good, moreover it can be picked up at the cheaper end of the scale perhaps £40-£50 a bottle and that’s principally the reason I have so many bottles of it – it’s sometimes too much of a bargain to pass on!

idj123 wrote: ↑10:24 Sun 27 Jul 2025 Like 99% of the 1970s, it’s very good, moreover it can be picked up at the cheaper end of the scale perhaps £40-£50 a bottle and that’s principally the reason I have so many bottles of it – it’s sometimes too much of a bargain to pass on!

That's a ridiculously great price (under $70US) for a 1970 Port.

@ Mike J.W. - There’s a lot of 1970 and 1977 port about still in the UK at auction - I think a lot of it comes from deceased estates or oxbridge colleges. And, these were years of huge production of VP with many of the big houses producing six figure numbers of bottles.

Thanks George. If I saw that kind of pricing in the U.S. for 1970 and 1977 Port, I'd own a hell of a lot more bottles from those years, especially the 1970 Vintage.

idj123 wrote: ↑10:24 Sun 27 Jul 2025
Like 99% of the 1970s, it’s very good, moreover it can be picked up at the cheaper end of the scale perhaps £40-£50 a bottle and that’s principally the reason I have so many bottles of it – it’s sometimes too much of a bargain to pass on!

Have values dropped again? I was looking regularly last year and anything pre-1980s was going for £70-80+ a bottle.

Mike J. W. wrote: ↑17:19 Mon 28 Jul 2025 Thanks George. If I saw that kind of pricing in the U.S. for 1970 and 1977 Port, I'd own a hell of a lot more bottles from those years, especially the 1970 Vintage.

Same here. And we produced the damn things!

rich_n wrote: ↑22:42 Mon 28 Jul 2025

idj123 wrote: ↑10:24 Sun 27 Jul 2025
Like 99% of the 1970s, it’s very good, moreover it can be picked up at the cheaper end of the scale perhaps £40-£50 a bottle and that’s principally the reason I have so many bottles of it – it’s sometimes too much of a bargain to pass on!

Have values dropped again? I was looking regularly last year and anything pre-1980s was going for £70-80+ a bottle.

What about 7 x T77 plus 3 x D85 at £57 a bottle each all in, just from Monday this week, for example…

With the exception of Warre 70 and the Blenheim Palace Cockburn 70 I don’t think I have >12 bottles of anything Port.