1910 Inglenook Private Stock Port - Updated with sinking cork

WINE TALK
1

My last bottle of a six pack bought off a yahoo auction back in the 90s. Who knew CA could make such a wonderful elixir. Almost no nose on this one but makes up for this with an explosion of flavors. Carmel, toffee and butterscotch that leads into this almost never ending finish. I’m talking about like 3-5 minutes. No harshness or green flavors. This is a wine that I will be able to remember its taste for the rest of my life. Unbelievable experience and sorry it will be my last. Drank more like a 104 year old colheita versus vintage port. When you factor in all the intangibles like it surviving prohibition, winery history, it being from CA, etc., easy 100 points for me.

Was enjoyed this last spring at our Cabin on Big Sandy Lake with my friend’s world famous Maine Puffy pancake with locally sourced, McGregor, MN (a town of about 500 people), thick cut bacon. An outstanding match.

The cork was about as hard as a rock and the bottom 1/3 was so saturated that when it broke off in the bottle, it sank to the bottom. Never had a cork sink before.
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2

Wow, that’s awesome.

3

Indeed

4

Awesome. Cali made some really good “ports” back then.

5

And I think they still do, Andy.
Tom

6

Tom, you had this bottle when it was first released, how was it back then?

7

That’s very subjective [stirthepothal.gif]

8

AwwwRight, David. Cheap shot…very cheap!!! [snort.gif]

Recently had the Santino Douro Port Amador LosAlamosRelease '89, made from Portugese varieties, and it was just barely starting the secondary
characteristics of an evolving Port. Still lots of youthful fruit. Lovely stuff.
Tom

9

Does anyone know now the dating related to Wine Tax Stamps was done back in the teens? The reason I ask is that on the back of these bottles are IRS 4 cent Tax Stamps from the 1916 Series and each is ink stamped with a date, May 4, 1918 or 1919. I think its 1919 but hard to tell. If its 1919, and that is when the stamps were either purchased or put on the bottles, then these only hit the market for like 2 months before prohibition hit.

Attached are a couple of photos of bottles and the wine’s original case.
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10

What an interesting post and experience. Thanks especially for the pictures!

11

The small label above the main label reads:

Grand Prize, Medal of Honor and Twenty Gold Medals, Awarded Inglenook Wines, Brandy and Champagne, P. P. I. E. S. F. 1915.

Per Inglenook’s website, P. P. I. E. stands for: Panama Pacific International Exposition and states for “1915, Inglenook wine triumphs at San Francisco’s Panama Pacific International Exposition, winning 19 gold medals at the opening celebration of the Panama Canal.”
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12

That seems like it should be in a museum of California wine history, very cool post.

13

Super Cool!

14

There’s something vaguely familar about this post…

15

Agreed. Have you by chance contacted Inglenook? Who knows, they could have a need for this slice of history.

16

Maybe because it had something to do with you being the chef for lunch that day?

17

Awesome post. Really cool to see stuff like that; thanks for sharing!

What grapes went into this? Was this made from Touriga?

18

That’s my kind of breakfast.

19

Great bit of history

20

Most likely Zinfandel. Stickies from back then were mostly made from Zin (or Mission in the case of Angelica).