an online auction that ends in a few hours today Sunday November 11, 2018. So I'd said I try and spread the word:
Some of the items are quite nice, he usually got 2-3 bottles of each,
and I got a chance to taste a few over the years. But so far, a number
of items have no bids, or are still a steal. The seller bought most of
these bottles between 15 and 25 years
ago from major retailers in NYC, well before the faking crazy times we
have now with some of the auctions.
He is selling through an Acker-Merrall online auction that closes
tomorrow November 11. See https://www.ackerwines.com/content/live ... ionId=1207.
You need to register with a credit card to bid. The lots are
21939-21948. If you search on 21939, the rest will get listed right
below. Some highlights:
The Johnstone & Sadler, lot 21942, is the oldest bottle I've seen in person.
Recorked in 1980, bottled the year before they finished the first
USA continental railroad. There was a bit of seepage, which is not completely
unexpected in a bottle so old, my friend got to taste a drop or so,
and said it was still a sweet fortified smooth drink. Level is
mid-shoulder, again about right for the age, so less chance there were
'additions' made at the recork. Johnstone & Sadler was a smaller house,
and the recork was done by Whitwham's & Company Wines Ltd, again a
smaller UK importer, both long since gone. Less money than anything
else from the mid 19th century, though as someone pointed out, where the
grapes actually came from would be the making of a 19th century
detective story. Buy it just for the history, I mean just this week a
bottle of Neirport 1863, only 5 years older, went for $128,000 - see
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/ ... at-auction.
This is lot number 21941.
![Image](https://preview.ibb.co/h5YNHq/IMG-0183-rot-small.jpg)
The Martinez 1955, search for lot 21942, is from a partial case the
seller owned, one of which I was priviledge to partake in, and
it was the best bottle of port I ever experienced, just a delicious
array of tastes, with a sophisticated richness I have not had before
or since. And from a house that is not as well known as some of the
bigger names. Go figure. This is lot 21942.
As for the rest, I starred the items that are as of this writing a
steal still, such as 1970 Royal Oporto (21946) for $35!, again these
are all bottles bought well before the faking crazy times we have now:
*21939 - 3 bottle - 1995 Geyser Peak Shiraz. 1992 Ferreira LBV, 1984 Warre's LBV
21940 - 4 bottle - 1991 Graham's LBV
*21941, *21942 (see above)
21943 - 2 bottle - 1992 Niepoort
21944 - 2 bottle - 1991 Osborne, 1989 Osborne LBV (bottled 1995)
*21945 - 1 bottle - 1970 Presidential (bottled in 1973)
![Image](https://preview.ibb.co/maRyqA/IMG-3761.jpg)
*21946 - 1 bottle - 1970 Royal Oporto
*21947 - 1 bottle - 1985 Royal Oporto
21948 - 1 bottle - 1970 Warre's