What do you know about this Port??

[gerwin.degraaf]

Hi all,
At auction last week, I won (among other things) a bottle of:
Pinto & Co /Vinho do Porto / Récolte 1937 (vieille en Fût) / Blond Doré / Demi-sec.It is bottled in 1973.

The back label is in French, and quite damaged, so I can't make out everything it says.From what I can make out, it says that the Port of origine forms a natural sediment in the bottle, and that the bottle should be stored upright before and decanted before serving.

I'll post a photo of the front label.

What I'd like to know is:
- does anyone know the producer?
- does anyone know this particular (kind of) port?
- It seems that it is a White port (given the statement of Blond Doré (which in French means lightblond / goldenblond)), so I'm guessing a white Colheita (aged in barrel it says on the label) or am I wrong about this?
- is this something rare (and if so,something rare and special, or does this fall under the category 'rare' but a pity that this has been kept for so long)?

I'd like your opinions on this one. I know that this should one of the few sites where my questions have a chance of being answered.

[JacobH]

Sorry, I can’t provide any sensible answers to your questions, just some idle chatter. I hope you don’t mind!

Hi all,
At auction last week, I won (among other things) a bottle of:
Pinto & Co /Vinho do Porto / Récolte 1937 (vieille en Fût) / Blond Doré / Demi-sec.It is bottled in 1973.

Which shipper do you think this is from? I assumed, on first looking, that it’s Ramos Pinto, but of course that was founded by Adriano Ramos Pinto and wasn’t a merger of two firms or named after two families (like the Taylor Fladgate Partnership) so perhaps it isn’t that. I like the design of the label with all the gold medals though!

I also wonder what the term ‟demi-sec” also means in the context of a white Port? My reading would be that that would a normal white Port for ageing since the sweeter white Ports are really sweet and I don’t think often aged. Out of the half-dozen or so aged whites I have tried, none are as sweet as the Lagrima.

That’s assuming that it is a white Port, of course. But I think everything about the label points to it being a white colheita. I have no idea how these mature in a bottle, though. Should be interesting to find out!

[Alex Bridgeman]

It really sounds as though this is a 1937 white colheita. Is there anything which shows the date of bottling?

If we are right, this should be a stunning wine and one which should not have suffered much if well stored.

[gerwin.degraaf]

It really sounds as though this is a 1937 white colheita. Is there anything which shows the date of bottling?

If we are right, this should be a stunning wine and one which should not have suffered much if well stored.

The only thing mentioned about botteling date, is that it's botteled in 1973 (engarrafdo em 1973, it says on the label). So in any case, this Port has been in bottle for most of it's life by bnow.
I don't know how it has been stored unfortunately. The lot which contained this bottle was a mixed lot of 10 bottles of Port (all VP but 1, the 1937) from 1970 to 1994. I think all these bottles came from thesame supplier, since all the bottles showed significantly dusty and/of dameged labels. I hope that the bad condition of the labels comes from the fact that the bottles have been stored in (very) humid conditions, which enhances the chance that the Ports are still in good condition.

[JacobH]

It really sounds as though this is a 1937 white colheita. Is there anything which shows the date of bottling?

If we are right, this should be a stunning wine and one which should not have suffered much if well stored.

The only thing mentioned about botteling date, is that it's botteled in 1973 (engarrafdo em 1973, it says on the label). So in any case, this Port has been in bottle for most of it's life by bnow.
I don't know how it has been stored unfortunately. The lot which contained this bottle was a mixed lot of 10 bottles of Port (all VP but 1, the 1937) from 1970 to 1994. I think all these bottles came from thesame supplier, since all the bottles showed significantly dusty and/of dameged labels. I hope that the bad condition of the labels comes from the fact that the bottles have been stored in (very) humid conditions, which enhances the chance that the Ports are still in good condition.

Labels are not always a good indicator of what’s in the bottle, so I hope it will turn out to be well stored! Are you planing on drinking it?

[gerwin.degraaf]

[/quote]Labels are not always a good indicator of what’s in the bottle, so I hope it will turn out to be well stored! Are you planing on drinking it?[/quote]

I know, but it won't hurt to hope! The fill level in the bottle also seems excellent, so I take that as an indication of proper storage as well (hoping hoping ). I am planning on drinking it indeed, perhaps on my coming birthday in December. I'll be sure to post the outcome on .

[JacobH]

I know, but it won't hurt to hope! The fill level in the bottle also seems excellent, so I take that as an indication of proper storage as well (hoping hoping ). I am planning on drinking it indeed, perhaps on my coming birthday in December. I'll be sure to post the outcome on .

That’s a good sign. Probably worth drinking it sooner rather than later, though, since I can’t imagine extended bottle-maturing is good for a white colheita! That said, I suppose another 5 or so years will make such a difference if it was bottled in 1973...

[gerwin.degraaf]

The time is about to come to open up this bottle and to see if it indeed is a white colheita.

Since I have no expercience yet with old white colheitas (as a matter of fact, this will be my first experience with one), what would be the correct serving temperature (in Celcius) for an aged white Colheita (Vintage 1937, bottled in 1973)?

Thanks!

Gerwin

[Alex Bridgeman]

When I have had the Dalva white colheitas, they have always been served cool - at cellar temperature or slightly warmer. I would suggest trying it at a temperature of 12-16C and see what you think.

[RAYC]

When I have had the Dalva white colheitas, they have always been served cool - at cellar temperature or slightly warmer. I would suggest trying it at a temperature of 12-16C and see what you think.

Yes - agreed - i would have suggested 14-16 but either way it will quickly start to approach room temperature in glass anyway (and in bottle, if it lasts a couple of hours) so you will see a nice progression - and you can simply put it back in a wine cooler with a bit of ice if you start to think it was better at a lower temperature

Hope it goes well!

[Axel P]

I just had very many different bottlings and producers of Colheita from 1937 this year. I guess I opened up around 30 bottles already. All of them are at least very good to drink, some of them being spectacular. As I was very suspicious towards the bottlings of 1990 and before, some of them turned out to be extremely well to drink.

The only two producers besides Dalva who produced White Colheitas at this time were Niepoort and Krohn, but having had some old whites already, the temperature should be the same as for red Colheitas, so start with 10-12 deg and they will get warmer anyways.

Let us know how it went.

Axel

[gerwin.degraaf]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

I will let you know how it turned out.
The date for execution is dec. 14th. I will serve it at celler temp, about 11C. Given it´s age I will probably decant the bottle, but I reckon that it does not need a lot of decanting time. Any thoughts on this one=

Gerwin

[RAYC]

Don't know how comparable this is, but the advice i received from Goncalo from Dalva was that no time was really needed in the decanter for the Golden White 52 as it would have plenty of time to develop in glass/bottle at the table over 2-3 hours.

Glenn/Andy V. echoed this, i seem to recall.

[gerwin.degraaf]

Yesterday opened up this bottle, in celebration of my birthday in the company of my dad, my wife and two wine- and portloving relatives.

Opened it up by means of my port tongs (what else ) which went great, even the cork is now still in quite good shape!

And thankfully, it showed beautifully!! I'll try to put together a TN later (have a small glass left in the decanter for later tonight, will try to get the essence of the wine), I did not take notes yesterday.

It's indeed a White Colheita, although it's colour is quite golden/amber (almost as Tawny-like as a very old Colheita, with many years in the barrel I would guess, but it seemed to shine more).
Lots of dried fruits on the nose and palate, I recall apricot, some melon, maybe some mango. No heat or tannins were noticable, a very very smooth grass of golden (now I can see where the Dalva golden white gets it name from) Port! It was less sweet compared to other ports, but maybe understandable, given the notion on the bottle that said "Demi-sec" (French, for semi-dry)/ Although I don't recall ever having seen this statement on port bottles before. Any of you know of this type?
And for the finish, it seemed to last at least a minute!!
I've no experience with white Colheitas but if this is a benchmark, then I am in the market for some more when I come across them.