Vintage Port

Vintage Port - 1974 - Graham's Single Harvest Tawny - £1120 per 4 bottles in bond - £373 per bottle 

On the 25th of April 1974, a military-led coup overthrew the dictatorship which had governed Portugal for half a century. In its immediate aftermath it unleashed social and political tensions, in the prevailing turbulent climate the family elected not to bottle Vintage Port. Nonetheless, many of the year’s wines were so exquisite that they were selected for maturing in cask. For Peter Symington, this was just his fifth vintage in the Douro, but as he gradually took on the position of head winemaker, taster and blender, it became his responsibility to nurture the development of this wine during its prolonged ageing in cask, before passing that responsibility to his son Charles.

PROVENANCE · GRAPE VARIETIES

The Graham’s 1974 Single Harvest Tawny, originating almost entirely from field blends in the Malvedos vineyard, has reached us in outstanding condition and Charles has selected the finest casks for bottling, almost half a century after the wine was made.

STORAGE · SERVING · FOOD PAIRING

Graham’s 1974 Single Harvest pairs perfectly with creamy or nutty desserts or savoured on its own as a dessert in its own right. Serve chilled and consume within 6-8 weeks of opening.

TASTING NOTE

Coppery centre with a pale bronze
edge. The broad range of aromas
reveals sultanas, quince preserve and a combination of subtle caramel, vanilla and ginger notes. The palate is silky
and sensual, with a zest of soft, tingling tannins which continue to underpin the structure and the wine’s vitality. The long finish provides reminiscences of peppery spice, tea leaf and thyme.

WINE SPECIFICATION

Alcohol: 20% vol (20oC)
Total acidity: 5.1 g/l tartaric acid Baumé: 4.8
pH: 3.35
Total sugars (glu+fru): 124g/l Allergy advice: Contains sulphites

Rating

87

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

1st Jan 1989

Source

Buying Guide, 2nd Edition, The Wine Advocate

Graham is another great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their tawnys are quite good rather than exceptional, but their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous.

Rating

90

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

1st Jan 1989

Source

Buying Guide, 2nd Edition, The Wine Advocate

This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1985 is the sweetest and richest of the recent Warre vintages. Extremely concentrated, rich, even luscious, this full-bodied, intense, opulent wine has layers of fruit, a full-blown bouquet, and impeccable balance. The soft tannins and precocious appeal of the 1985 suggest rapid maturation.

Rating

93

Release Price

$73

Drink Date

2010 - 2050

Reviewed by

Jay S Miller

Issue Date

27th Feb 2010

Source

187, The Wine Advocate

The 2007 Warre Vintage Port is one of the stars of the vintage. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it displays an expressive bouquet of Asian spices, incense, lavender, blackberry, and fruitcake. Plush on the palate with outstanding volume, it exhibits a sense of elegance as well as power. Savory flavors, plenty of structure for the long haul, and a lengthy, fruit-filled finish suggests two decades of cellaring are in order. This superb effort should still be drinking well in 2050.  

Rating

(92 - 95)

Release Price

$85

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

Neal Martin

Issue Date

28th Jun 2013

Source

207, The Wine Advocate

The 2011 Croft is initially taciturn on the nose, even after allowing it 20 minutes in my glass. A light swirling immediately awakens the aromatics to offer blackberry, Seville orange marmalade, blueberries and dried fig – complex and quite compelling. There is real mineralite within this bouquet that, returning after 30 minutes, offers alluring ocean spray scents rolling in off the ocean. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety-smooth opening that belies the fine, structured tannins underneath. It clams up a little towards the finish, shuts the lid tight and consequently there is the sensation of less persistency here compared to the Taylor’s or Fonseca. But Croft has a knack of filling out with bottle age and becomes both gentle and generous with the passing years. Tasted May 2013. 

The 2011 Dow Vintage Port was made from no less than 44 separate ferments from finest fruit sourced from Quinta do Bomfim (35% of the blend), Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira (42%) and the Santinho (14%) and Cerdeira (6%) estates. Just six of the best lots were used in the final blend, which consists of 40% Touriga Franca, 36% Touriga Nacional, 10% Sousao and 14% of old vine plantings. It has a beautiful, quite extravagant bouquet with copious black and red fruit, Indian spice, and hints of menthol and orange rind that unfold wonderfully in the glass. The palate is a sumptuous affair, one that is beautifully balanced with velvety smooth, plump tannins, copious black fruit with a harmonious, white pepper-tinged finish that is a decadent delight. This is one of the finest of the declarations of 2011 Vintage Ports, a sublime expression of the vintage you would be foolish not to buy. This is Dow at its best. 5,000 cases have been declared. Tasted May 2013. 

“It has a classy, aristocratic bouquet, a signature note apropos Taylor’s Vintage: dense black fruit with touches of melted tar, cloves and white pepper. This just builds and builds in the glass. The palate is very harmonious with fine tannins, perfect acidity and very pure with a gentle, almost caressing second half. White pepper interlaces the black fruit with a very precise finish. Pure class.” Drinking window: 2032 – 2075 - Neal Martin