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Tasting Notes

• NV Graham Porto 40 Year Old Tawny

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  4/25/2024 - forceberry wrote: 96 Points

  A blend of oxidatively aged Port wines which have been aging mainly in smaller oak pipes. The final blend is composed of different vintages resulting in an average age of 40 years. 20% alcohol, 114 g/l residual sugar and 5,0 g/l acidity.
  
  Relatively pale and fully translucent nutty brown color. The nose feels very concentrated, rich and rather hot with bold, intense aromas of caramel and toffee, some fragrant notes of arrack, a little bit of dried flowers, light dried-fruit notes of Sultana raisins and dried dates, a hint of exotic spices, a boozy touch of aguardente and a whiff of roasted hazelnuts. Tons of things going on here. The wine feels concentrated, hot and oxidative on the palate with a full body, somewhat viscous texture and very intense, sweet and tertiary flavors of caramel and nutty rancio, some arrack tones, a little bit of dried flowers, light stony mineral notes, a hint of exotic spices and a touch of fudge. The high alcohol comes through quite a bit, as a sort of counterpoint to the heavy, oily viscosity. The acidity comes across as somewhat high and concentrated, lending a lovely streak of freshness to the wine. The finish is juicy, sweet and concentrated with a very persistent aftertaste of oxidative nutty tones and caramel, some dried-fruit notes of red prunes and Sultana raisins, a little bit of dried flowers, light lifted nuances of citrus zest, a hint of burnt sugar bitterness and a touch of dried dates.
  
  An absolutely beautiful Tawny Port that is all about concentration, depth and complexity. Although I'm more of a Vintage Port guy, this was still among one of the best Port Wines we tasted on our trip to Portugal. It was fun to taste this next to the Graham's 20 and 30 yo Tawnies - with each jump in style, the color and appearance seemed to get lighter, yet the wines became heavier, more concentrated and more intensely flavored. With this much concentration and sweetness, this is not a graceful wine in any way - just a huge smack of Tawny greatness across your face. An absolute banger. Not a particularly affordable wine at 165€, but arguably delivers for the money.

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• NV Graham Porto 30 Year Old Tawny

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  4/25/2024 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points

  A blend of oxidatively aged Port wines which have been aging mainly in smaller oak pipes. The final blend is composed of different vintages resulting in an average age of 30 years. 20% alcohol, 120 g/l residual sugar and 5,6 g/l acidity.
  
  Translucent, moderately deep syrupy-brown color - is less deep as the 20 yo Tawny and lacking its faint red-toned hue. The nose feels concentrated and quite intensely aromatic with complex and wonderfully intense aromas of syrupy molasses, some dried dates, light wizened dark berry notes, a little bit of roasted hazelnuts, a hint of butterscotch, a touch of caramel and a whiff of bitter orange rind. The wine feels sweet, round and moderately viscous on the palate with a full body and rich, intense flavors of syrupy molasses, some dried dates, light caramel tones, a little bit of butterscotch, a hint of oxidative nuttiness and a touch of dried black cherries. There are no perceptible tannins, but the medium acidity manages to keep the wine pretty nicely in balance. The finish is long, sweet and succulent with an intense aftertaste of cooked strawberries, some dried dates, light nutty notes of oxidation, a little bit of wizened black cherries, hints of toffee and buttersctoch and a touch of syrupy molasses.
  
  A wonderfully rich, complex and intensely flavored 30 Tawny that is always a pleasure. The pronounced richness and sweetness typical of the Graham's style often feels a bit excessive in their 10 and 20 yo Tawnies, but to me, it matches the flavor intensity and complexity pretty well at this level - making this wine stand quite noticeably above the Graham's 20 yo Tawny. Not the most complex or otherwise exceptional Tawny out there, but a fine and impressive wine all the same. Perhaps betting a bit expensive for the quality at 115€, but not excessively so.

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• NV Graham Porto 20 Year Old Tawny

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  4/25/2024 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  A blend of oxidatively aged Port wines which have been aging mainly in smaller oak pipes. The final blend is composed of different vintages resulting in an average age of 20 years. 20% alcohol, 118 g/l residual sugar and 4,7 g/l acidity.
  
  Luminous, translucent and quite reddish coppery color. The nose feels rich and syrupy-sweet with layered, somewhat red-toned aromas of dried dates and cherry marmalade, some oxidative nutty tones, a little bit of dark raisiny fruit, light spirituous notes of aguardente, a hint of ripe strawberry, a touch of burnt sugar and a whiff of caramel. The wine feels sweet, rich and juicy with complex flavors of dried figs and ripe strawberries, some raisiny tones, a little bit of dried date, light caramel nuances, a hint of nutty oxidation and a touch of red prunes. The wine is moderately high in acidity with a slightest touch of tannic tug on the gums. The high alcohol lends some warmth to the palate. The finish is juicy, sweet and slightly warm with a long aftertaste of dried dates and stewed strawberries, some raisiny tones, a little bit of nutty oxidation, light caramel nuances, a hint of orange marmalade and a touch of maple syrup.
  
  A rich, juicy and tasty Tawny Port with good sense of depth and complexity but also quite a bit of sweetness. The overall feel is quite mellow and very approachable; the rather pronounced sweetness makes this feel a bit of a crowdpleaser for a 20 yo Tawny. While undeniably an enjoyable effort with good, balancing acidity, I still prefer my 20 yo Tawnies a bit drier and less sweet - the high residual sugar seems to slightly muddle the details, only accentuating the already sweet dried-fruit flavors even further. A good and thoroughly pleasurable wine, but not my favorite 20 yo Tawny. Priced more or less according to its quality at 44€.

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