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1924–1950 Vintage Ports from Raby Castle: Magnificent wines of perfect provenance


Richard Mayson relishes the opportunity to taste exceptional, fully mature Ports, of which substantial quantities will be sold at Christie’s


one of his more intriguing tasks was to visit the cellars of country houses up and down the kingdom to assess valuable old wines. It is fair to say that a country house with thick stone walls in a cool, damp climate is the perfect place to store and age wines made in sunnier climes. He must have made some fascinating discoveries. I know for myself (on encountering two dozen Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1961 many years ago) how finding an old


W


hen Michael Broadbent MW reestablished Christie’s wine department back in 1966,


wine is like coming face to face with a friendly and rather thrilling old ghost. I thought that most of the wines from these old country-house cellars must have been either sold or drunk by now. Imagine my delight when I was invited by Christie’s to visit Raby Castle in County Durham, where a cache of rather wonderful Vintage Port had been found in the cellars. The castle dates back to the 11th century, with parts of the surviving building dating from the 14th century and 18th and 19th centuries. (John Carr of York, who designed a number of buildings in Oporto, was responsible for


the 18th-century modifications.) Built from local gritstone, Raby Castle has a forbidding, fortified appearance, with stone walls that are many feet thick in places. It is the home of Lord and Lady Barnard, who took over the property in 2016 and have a fairly daunting restoration project on their hands. These Ports were laid down by the 10th Baron Barnard, who, according to the cellar ledger, bought the wines as soon as they were (UK-) bottled and cellared them. They have been laying there ever since, quite possibly untouched since Christopher Barnard


88 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025


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