1872 Quinta do Bom Retiro

[Alex Bridgeman]

Drunk at the Restaurante Flor de Lis at the Villa Foz Hotel & Spa. This was a bottle from the cellar of the family who owned Bom Retiro, before it was sold to Ramos Pinto in 1919. This bottle had been open around a week when tasted.

Made from grapes grown at Bom Retiro by the family owning the quinta prior to its sale to Ramos Pinto in 1919. The oldest vintage in the family reserves is 1860. Powerful nose, rich with orange and grapefruit marmalade; some earthy tones. Old palate, a little drier than modern Ports with an amazing coffee or burnt toast on the mid-palate. The burnt toast and marmalade show strongly in the aftertaste and finish. What a surprising wine! Very impressive and such a delight to try.  90/100. Tasted 13-Oct-22.

[JacobH]

What a fantastic Port to try! Was this some sort of tawny? I assume a vintage Port would be completely dead after being open for a week at 150 years' old.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I can't be certain, but I suspect it was what we would today consider to be a relatively young colheita when it was bottled. Perhaps bottled 20-25 years after the vintage. The bottle was certainly old and - to my eye - from the late 1800s.

[JacobH]

Interesting. Thank you!

[Andy Velebil]

I can't be certain, but I suspect it was what we would today consider to be a relatively young colheita when it was bottled. Perhaps bottled 20-25 years after the vintage. The bottle was certainly old and - to my eye - from the late 1800s.

I probably would say closer to 10 years, but yes, I’d guess it was later bottled. Which was quite common back then (the modern 2-3 yrs only was formalized after WW2). Still very nice, not great as many of these super old VPs are, but the history and educational experience of trying them adds to the experience.