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My father purchased these in the 1970’s and kept them in his cellar ever since. He won’t be drinking them, and it seems like a shame to not let someone with a more sophisticated palate than mine have a crack at them. 1963 Messias, 1970 Taylors bottled in 1972. I am in the New England area of the US. Let me know if you have an interest.

Is there a back label on the Messias from which you can determine whether it is a Vintage Port (like the Taylor) or a Colheita?

It does have a back label which gives the vintage year as 1963, and the bottling year as 1986 (so I guess this was purchased in the 80’s rather than the 70’s). So, I defer to the experts, but would that make it a Colheita?

Yes, that makes it a Colheita. Colheita is a wood-aged (or as the back label says, "matured in wood") Port from a single vintage.

Unfortunately wood-aged Ports are generally intended to be consumed shortly after bottling. There's no exact timing, but even the most lax rule of thumb would say within 5-8 years. Some people recommend as little as 2-3 years. So while the Messias is likely still a tasty Port, it doesn't have the value that you might expect from a 58-year old Port. A more recent bottling might be worth as much as $160 at retail, but this one is likely only of novelty value so it will depend entirely on the buyer.

The Taylor, on the other hand, is one of the better Vintage Ports from 1970 and as long as it has been stored in a cool, dark place is likely in fabulous condition. These can sometimes fetch as much as $250 at retail in the US, but in a private sale we generally advise to only expect about half of retail. The buyer has very little recourse in a private sale if the bottle turns out to be damaged, so the prices are depressed accordingly.

Thank you for the very useful information! Perhaps someone will be interested in taking a chance on these bottles, and if not this Thanksgiving we will put down the two-buck chuck and elevate ourselves with some after dinner glasses of some somewhat passe port.