I have a bottle of Taylor '70 ordered, and the merchant has sent through some pictures of the bottle for me to see before confirming the order. I'm a bit concerned about the state of the wax capsule however. What do people think? Would you worry about the amount of damage shown in the pictures below?
I don't have huge experience with wax capsules so will let others comment, but one other thing to consider is that the fill level on that bottle also looks quite low. Depends on what the asking price is, i suppose!
That looks very similar to a large number of Taylor vintages I have seen from that era. Those capsules were once green but have gone very grey and brittle and tend to disintegrate during transit.
I haven't experienced any problems with seepage as a result of this so I wouldn't worry. However you might want to use it as a reason to negotiate a small discount on the price?
"The first duty of Port is to be red" Ernest H. Cockburn
We need Tom to adjudicate! I would call it VTS according to Tom's scale, and generally look for levels at least a little way into neck when buying single bottles after a couple of disappointing experiences.
VTS and BN are pretty much the same to me at the auction blocks and depending on which auction you attend you may not even see VTS/BN distinction as they usually just goto TS.
For a 40+ year old bottle if you find wines that are still Into Neck, I'd say that something more devious may be attributed to the bottle. (unless it was under screw cap)
Disclosure: Distributor of Quevedo wines and Quinta do Gomariz
I wouldn't be at all concerned with either the fill level or the fact that the wax capsule has been badly damaged. From what we can see in the pictures, there does not appear to be any seepage and that would be my critical question - I might even ask it of the merchant directly. Has the bottle been stored on its side? Does the bottle show any signs of leakage or seepage?
If the answers are "yes" and "no", I would be happy to buy.
Mind you, I would then rewax the bottle in order to continue to protect the cork and the wine, but that is a different issue...
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
I wouldn't worry much about the chipped capsule; it still seems to be fully covering the cork, which is what I would normally look for. Perhaps you could be slightly suspicious of the dark mark at edge on the side of the remaining capsule as to whether it was staining and the rest of the capsule been removed as a consequence, but I think that seems less likely. No real need for the capsule to have been chipped away to validate the contents given the label (seems typical both in look and condition for age) unless someone was suspicious.
As for fill level, I would normally look for at least a few mm in neck, but would not be scared off by top shoulder / base neck as this one is if the price is good; I don't agree with g-man that in-neck at this age would be especially suspicious, I've experienced plenty of well kept bottles at 35-40 year with >10mm in neck.
g-man wrote:what I have found though, is that some auction houses purposesly chip off the wax on one side to get a reading of the cork.
That looks like what's happened to this bottle to me. The edge looks like it was cut to me, especially in the top picture.
I wouldn't worry about it either provided there are no signs of seepage. Some of my T70s have similar fill levels, though I do also have some that are into the neck.
PhilW wrote:I wouldn't worry much about the chipped capsule; it still seems to be fully covering the cork, which is what I would normally look for. Perhaps you could be slightly suspicious of the dark mark at edge on the side of the remaining capsule as to whether it was staining and the rest of the capsule been removed as a consequence, but I think that seems less likely. No real need for the capsule to have been chipped away to validate the contents given the label (seems typical both in look and condition for age) unless someone was suspicious.
As for fill level, I would normally look for at least a few mm in neck, but would not be scared off by top shoulder / base neck as this one is if the price is good; I don't agree with g-man that in-neck at this age would be especially suspicious, I've experienced plenty of well kept bottles at 35-40 year with >10mm in neck.
at retail thoguh ?
I'd be shocked
if from someone like uncle tom's cellar or straight from the winery.
fine.
Disclosure: Distributor of Quevedo wines and Quinta do Gomariz
Sad to see the capsule in that condition, but it all looks ok. I'm not frightened by a Top-shoulder fill like that, and the label looks like the right label.
JoshDrinksPort Port wine should perhaps be added -- A Trollope
To me this doesn't look right. The wax capsules I've seen from Oporto bottled ones has been an green color that fades to a lighter green color. Not the pale color seen here. I'll assume it's been exposed to a lot of light somewhere along the way that has faded it. As far as cracking, that is what I've seen on almost all 1970's Taylors with the wax seal.
The fill level for this is poor IMO. Even bottles we get see in the States have far better fill levels than that. To me, for this VP, I would not buy this bottle unless the price was about 1/2 normal or better. Not worth the risk unless getting a very good deal on it for a "now-drinker". And even then I'd have a back up ready.
Port wine should perhaps be added -- A Trollope
