Bargain! (?)

[PaulW]

I picked up what I hope is a bargain at an auction last night. Three bottles of 1970 Krohn's for £146. Given that I couldn't find them elsewhere unless I paid nearly that much per bottle, I feel like I might be onto a winner. Hopefully their condition is good - there was, weirdly, nothing about that on the auction site, so one can only presume their declarations about only ever selling things they have full confidence in is sincere. I've attached a picture of the actual bottles. They arrive tomorrow! Should I be excited? I do very little of this auction buying stuff.

I also got Real Companhia Velha 1982, Graham's 1980 and a weird one - Taylor's LBV from 1981. These were less of a bargain, but still quite good prices if they turn out to be well-kept. (Also one other bargain, but it's not port: Three Chateau Cissac 1981 for £47!)

[jdaw1]

Great value. Hope they show well. Ideally with us.

[mcoulson]

They should be fine .. the levels look good as do the caps !

[Glenn E.]

If you couldn't make a good Port in 1970, you should have been selling shoes.

Sounds like a great buy!

[Alex Bridgeman]

I reckon you've bagged a bargain with those Krohn 1970 - they look (and should be) fabulous - welcome to the slippery slope!

(And I'm very sorry that you now own a bottle of Real Companhia Velha 1982. While they are making lovely wines today, they were going through a bit of a rough patch in the 1980s.)

[mosesbotbol]

They certainly look the part. Look like perfect bottles.

[PaulW]

Sounds like mostly good news! I'm not too worried if the Real Companhia Velha is a bit off - the rest I bought as experiments compared with the Krohn. They all arrived today, beautifully packed in individual bottle bubbles - so I can recommend Wineauctioneer.com. I'll update on here when I try any of them.

Sadly, @jdaw1, I live near Glasgow, so being in London is massively unlikely (though I am planning a 3-4 day visit in late August, it's not likely to coincide with an event!).

[Alex Bridgeman]

Sounds like mostly good news! I'm not too worried if the Real Companhia Velha is a bit off - the rest I bought as experiments compared with the Krohn. They all arrived today, beautifully packed in individual bottle bubbles - so I can recommend Wineauctioneer.com. I'll update on here when I try any of them.

Sadly, @jdaw1, I live near Glasgow, so being in London is massively unlikely (though I am planning a 3-4 day visit in late August, it's not likely to coincide with an event!).

Paul - we love an excuse to get together and drink Port. If you're down in London and have (or can engineer an opportunity to have) an evening free, please do post the date that you'd like to get together with some other Port Forum members. You might find no-one is free — but you might find 10 people would love to meet you, have dinner and share some Port!

The normal format for our get-togethers is that we meet at the Boot & Flogger on Redcross Way (near Borough Market), each person brings a bottle of Port to share with others, and we split the cost of dinner / room / corkage / service between us (which works out to be about £60-70 each).

[PaulW]

That's very good news, Alex, thank you. Perhaps I'll have a 4-5 day trip instead. I'll update when I have more details! And I'll travel by train then I can bring a bottle.

[PaulW]

I tried the Real Companhia Velha 1982 yesterday. I was quite pleased with it - it wasn't terrible by any means, but it perhaps lacked complexity and depth. It was pretty light in colour - especially in contrast with the Gould Campbell 1977 which I had a couple of weeks ago.
=====
Real Companhia Velha, vintage port, Portugal, 1982, 20% (£60, Wineauctioneer)
Tasted: 1:20/7/25 - immediately after opening, 4pm
2: 11pm
C:
1: dark red-orange rust, fully transparent
2: no change
1
N:
1: figs, glacé cherries, cherry brandy, eucalyptus, orange zest, Christmas pudding fruit, brandied fruitcake, dark stewed fruits - maybe plums
2: somewhat quieter

B:
1: liquid brandied fruitcake, stewed fruit - apples and plums, no trace of tannin, completely smooth, unctuous
2: much the same, less bright flavours, more integrated whole, smoother and easier drinking, a hint of liquorice

F:
1: just a little rubber, otherwise gradually fading stewed fruit, good length
2: same as earlier

=====

I also opened my 1976 Chablis by J Moreau et fils. It was a fascinating curiosity, but not something you'd want often!
J Moreau et fils, Les Clos, Chablis, 1976, ?% (Wineauctioneer, £11)
6.5 - a very interesting drink but not massively enjoyable at this stage. Cork came out in two halves, top half smelled mouldy
C: orange
0.5
N: like a cheap supermarket tangerine cheesecake, nothing fresh - it's all baked old oxidised stuff, almost petrichor, a hint of paint and glue, very interesting, when decanting my initial impression was of a tetrapack of apple juice, hint of toffee apple, maybe walnut at a stretch, some hay
2
B: still got a firm acid but not vinegary, great balance, very oxidised flavour, some very interesting tertiary flavours, a little very light toffee, like really vivid cheap apple juice, a sort of pervasive hay flavour - but maybe it's chamomile
2
F: very long and interesting - more of the body with the acid showing, some sort of high acid cheese like mature cheddar, much later some very interesting tobacco notes - like after smoking a cigar!, it just develops for many minutes
2

[Alex Bridgeman]

That does look rather pale and lightweight. Not untypical of this wine from this vintage.