Taylors 1944 Matured in oak casks bottled in 1985

[Mito]

Hello gentlemen.

I have obtained a Taylors 1944 which says "Matured in oak casks since 1944...A specific pipe of
this rare port has been selected to be offered in 1985 which is recommend for immediate drinking".

I am serching any information about this bottle,but there is nothing on the website.
Does anyone know anything about it ?
Is it still drinkable ?
If so, should it be drunk in a few days after opening the bottle ?
How much is the retail price on average ?

I will be appreciate any information.
Thanks.

Mito

[DRT]

Hi Mito,

Welcome to

You have a very unusual bottle of Port and one that I have never heard of previously.

It is likely to still be drinkable but will have lost its freshness due to the long time in bottle. If it has nnot been properly stored it might not be in very good condition.

I don't think you will find a retail price for this and if it was sold at auction it would be of academic interest to Port lovers like us rather than being a highly valued item.

My suggestion would be to open it, drink it over a few days and report back here to let us know what you thought of it.

If you are drinking it over a few days it would probably be a good idea to keep it in the fridge to stop it falling apart once opened.

Derek

[Mito]

Hi Derek

Thank you for your quick reply
I am very glad to know how to deal with this curious bottle.

I upload the photo of this bottle.
I am welcoming any further information.



Mito

[JB vintage]

Hi Mito,
I would be surprised if it is not drinkable. Port from that time is usually very good. This is an old colheita, i.e. cask aged from a specific year. Old Colheitas usually keep quite well after opening. General recommendation from the Port wine institute is to consume within 1-4 months after opening, and the more years in cask the longer it can be kept open as the cask slowly oxidize and "impregnate" the wine. However, after opening it does deteriorate, but quite slowly. I would certainly not keep it for months even though it might be possible. If you do not drink all at once, keep in the refrigerator and minimize air contact to prolong life. I would pour the remaining wine in a smaller bottle to minimize contact with oxygen. Even though Colheitas are fully evolved and meant to be consumed at bottling they keep quite well, but will never be better than at the time of bottling. Contrary to vintage port that are meant to develop on the bottle.

I think you might enjoy it so much that you find a quite natural way of solving the problem of keeping it open, and drink it long before its too old.

[mosesbotbol]

If it's been cellared well, you're going to have a heck of a treat when you open that bottle.

[Axel P]

Dear Mito,

in my experience with Colheitas there are two types of houses. The one type is where the Colheitas stay perfectly well once bottled and some, where the Colheitas should rather be drunk soon. Perfect examples for the first are Andresen, Noval and Niepoort, where e.g. all 1937s, even if bottled decades ago, are still very much enjoyable, maybe even better now as at the time of bottling as these Ports do receive some elegancy which a freshly bottled Port at this age sometimes misses.

As Taylor most probably will be entering the Colheita-area with much more enthusiasm due to recent purchases, they did not in the past. Therefore my experience with Taylors Colheitas are 0.

If you do open and enjoy this bottle, please do tell us your experiences with it.

Axel