A wonderful way to end Easter dinner. Fully resolved tannins. Figs, dates, raisins, and warm spice all intertwined with prominent sweetness. A pleasure, and cheap as chips at auction.
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Acquired on auction 2020. No formal tasting notes, but very enjoyable port. Ranked #2 in wide tasting. Wasn't expecting much since first of two bottles was likely stored improperly. This one was a delight. This bottle had some life left - revising my drink window higher.
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Tawny. Aromas of raisin, fig, strawberry preserve, apricot kernel, juniper berry and cinnamon. Delicately sweet. Mellowed tannins. Sweet cherry acids and peach pit bitterness. Palate of cherry, aniseed, cinnamon, milk chocolate, wet wood, candied orange and sandalwood. A mature and vital port at its peak with vital red fruit and lovely chocolate and spicy aromas. Drink within 10 years. Tasted 2023. Tasted alongside Fonseca 2000. The matched wine has the potential to grander over time, however, today, the present wine an extra-ordinary charm.
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An excellent wine - notes of concentrated dark fruit, with great depth and balance. Tannins are soft and well integrated. My last bottle, but this wine continues to drink very well.
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NLWTS - Fortified at M&L Warren Street (Must & Lees Warren Street): 24hr double decant. Pretty whiffy when first opened, but better after 24 hrs. Quite sweet, but lacking some fruit. More developed than expected; quite transparent and a little bit spirity. Not the best bottle, perhaps.
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Fortified Evening with the TWS North London Group (Must & Lees, Warren Street): Huge contrast with the Croft and Taylors, this has a real depth of dark fruit, and herbal quality I cannot place, almost green, that sets it apart from the others. Quite rich, alcohol-infused fruit cake, very nice indeed, I appreciate the extra body that this has.
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One of my very favorite wines! Black plums, spice cake, milk chocolate, figs, and roses, with a flash of orange peel just before the exceptionally long aftertaste. This seemed quite muffled when the bottle was initially opened, and only gradually came awake in the glass over the next hour and a half--either plan to spend a long time with this wine or give it a decant. [Tasted over an hour and a half from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave this bottle 2 weeks upright for the sediment to settle out.] Like the previous bottles I've tasted--see my notes of 9/24/20 and 3/21/23--this one had a cork in dismal shape and required the Durand opener. This is a treasure. (I don't think there's any hurry with this wine, but the corks are worrisome.)
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3rd and 4th (on 6/10) of 12, decanted 15 minutes, soaked corks but perfect levels, attractive lighter style as noted in September, plateau, 20+ years. F+ (18).
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I’m liking this Grahams vintage more and more. Whilst previously underwhelming, this has gained some real sophistication in the last 5-6yrs and is my favourite 85 port now. But it needs more time. Stood 2 days, decanted back into bottle and it still took a few days to open up. Not deep, but rich with plums, sweet cherry and liquorice. In the mouth the tannin structure really shows - very ripe but firm. This will be stunning in a decade, show much more complexity and it’s cheap - little more than current release prices…. a great value to drink now or cellar. Not as deep as 77 but that’s not showing as well these days and I wonder if this might be more in the mould of the 70, a port I adore (together with 70 Taylor’s). 94pts on opening, 96pts after 3 days and potential for even more… buy more cases
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A completely different wine to the Fonseca of the same vintage. Very aggressive and herby. Super assertive. Rich and opulent, peppery and spicy. Charismatic and explosive. Spectacular.
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Brillant, pale medium tawny-brick. Dried strawberries, grape, dried oranges, dried black cherry, dried black plum, dried flowers, pepper, anise, vanilla, toast, old wood. Medium sweet, full body, medium acidity, medium minus, soft tannins, high alcohol. Fully integrated but a little heat on the finish, drink now.
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Black cherry on the nose end palate with soft and sweet tannins on the finnish. I suspect it is at or near the end of it's drinking interval - at least for the 1/2 bottles.
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Always a treat. About the seventh I've had. Bought at an estate sale for $1. Worst of the lot in that it really looked deteriorated from head to toe from the label, to foil to cork due to the storage. Some sips had a musty hint (not found in any other bottles), but fewer as the night went on. Gobs of sediment. Yet my prior descriptors apply and this was excellent in flavor and merit. 92
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First of 6 bottles. Excellent cork and shape. Drinking extremely well right now with impeccable balance. Plenty of fruit but also pleasant tertiary aromas developing. This can hold much longer, 15 years+
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Spring Livery Lord Robertson Plum, raisin on the nose – if blind I might have expected a tawny rather than a vintage. Reasonably good level of spirit in the mouth. Fruit was there too cherries, fig, plum, a little chocolate and spice which came together with a finish that was surprisingly good. Perhaps a good bottle!
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Gorgeous, and much as it was in my note of 9/24/20: Ripe black plums, flowers, figs, milk chocolate, oranges, coming together in a wonderfully harmonious way, and followed by an amazingly beautiful and long aftertaste. The cork was falling apart--The Durand was essential to open it safely. Wow. Were it not for the state of the corks, there would be no hurry here--but the corks are a concern.
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J.N. This was awful, thin and very light in colour. No weight of fruit, almost tawny like without concentration - possibly from poor storage before our purchase. Needs drinking asap. Could use less time in decanter.
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A 37-year old vintage port which may now be starting to decline. The cork was good with lots of deposit at the bottom of the bottle - so tannins have mostly dropped out. It’s a light ruby, almost pink, colour. Aromas of violet, raspberry and vanilla. On the palate it’s sweet raspberry, cherry and rose hip, and it’s relatively fresh and syrupy with little tannin. Almost a raspberry liqueur but much more complex and vibrant than that!
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Had this side by side with the 85 Fonseca, Fonseca was much younger, in color and taste. This was much lighter in color and on the palate. . This Graham's is quite complex. I am a bit concerned about the color turning to a beautiful amber....how long will this last....perhaps 5 years, I am not sure, but it is excellent right now. Sweetness has evolved into many different layers of flavor. A bit of tobbacco, mildly sweet cherry and spices. I only decanted this for an hour or so and that was enough. T
Don’t drink huge amounts of port but this was lovely. Relatively light on it’s feet with perfumed fruit nose. Good depth on palate and well balanced. Quite sweet still and drinking rather easily
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This is in a good place now and drank well over several days after decanting off the sediment. A rich, unctuous port with loads of chocolate, plum, fruitcake and raisin flavors. Quite sweet and a bit unbalanced/hot on the finish. Surprisingly, I preferred a '75 Warre that I've had several bottles of recently, as it was the more harmonious and subtle wine.
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Double decanted and allowed to breathe for about an hour. Cork was saturated but solid. Delightful. Some bottle variability but the difference is between great and excellent.
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Double decanted for Dragon dinner. Nine guests. "What were you doing in 1985?" Cork fully saturated. Lovely. Improved over course of evening. Had with three single origin bitter chocolates, pound cake and fruit, nuts.
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From 375ml. Used a Durand to get the cork out and a small part still broke off. Heavy sediment, of course.
Color/App: light ruby core -> diffuse garnet rim; high viscosity. Delicious bouquet on PnP of plums, spice cake, raisins and bittersweet chocolate. Palate is quite smooth with tannins gone and a good acidic snap; still moderately sweet and long. Red berries, cherries and raisins here. Drinking well now and into the future for quite a long time. Grahams has always been my favourite Port and this shows why.
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Outstanding. Such balance and precision. Drinking beautiful now but has many years ahead. A truly excellent wine that ranks well within my top 10 of all time.
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Decanted on evening prior to Spring Picnic after standing 24 hours. Pale red, almost pink. Heavy almost tarry sediment only at very base of bottle. Cork two-thirds saturated, sightly unevenly, solid above. Extreme burst of flavor after 10 seconds of quiescence. Lingering aftertaste. Sweet, harmonious.
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A Fond Farewell (Sammamish, Washington): Decanted six hours. Semi-transparent, amber-red in color. There are cherry candies and sweet red fruits on the nose. On the palate, there are some really wonderful chocolate and red fruit notes. Rich, but also very smooth flavor profile. The rich flavor profile carries through to the long, smooth finish.
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never seen a cork this soaked through (saturated to the moldy tip) but the wine seems intact. my last bottle (same retailer) was nowhere near this saturated.
color: not much bricking. fairly translucent.
nose/taste: shows significant alcohol on pnp (dominates nose almost unpleasantly) but no flaws. tannins are there. lacking
very little acid
it's less youthful than my Christmas bottle and is showing definite oxidation and rough edges.
day two: no positive development. finishing the bottle, the last pour has an inch+ of thick, sludgy sediment. The previous bottle only had a bit. I'm just gonna say "bottle variation" since the wine didn't present overtly flawed. Lacks the vibrance of the previous bottle
November Livery dinner 2021 (courtesy of Nick) 1985 Graham – Fabulous. Wonderfully integrated fruit and spirit. Deep, rich palate – drinking very well and no reason that it will not do so for many years to come (if we had enough!).
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I bought a case of Grahams 85 in late 80’s. This was my 6th bottle, starting in the past 15 years. Bottle consistency has been impressive, this bottle was at perfect peak. It was open for about 3 weeks in the fridge (with vacuvan) and the last glass still drinking beautifully. Soft integrated fruits and tannins. Can’t think it would get much better but it should also hold well for another 5 years. Not quite as impressive as the ‘63 Croft I has 20 years ago, but close. I don’t normally rate wines on a scale but giving this a 94.
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Much darker than the 1977 we had a year ago. Obviously sweet but still with plenty of acid to balance out the sweetness. Delicious. Vintage Port is becoming a very anticipated Boxing Day tradition at our place.
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Pristine bottle condition! Cork was fully molded(fuzzy!) but extracted easily via ah-so style opener.
Upon opening w/o decant... Alcohol, unctuous fruit, and YOUTH. Drinks similarly. It's delicious, thick (promising. pleasantly rounded right now, but only barely "layered." Excited to see how this opens up for Christmas!
Night two: already much better. Youthful tannin has backed off, the fruit has taken on more toffee/caramel, etc... It is opening beautifully. Going to buy another bottle or two
Really interested to see how a week open improves this for Xmas/Xmas eve
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The fruit remains quite prominent in spite of the 36 year age especially since this was a 375ml bottle which should age faster than a 750ml. Shared with a good friend of even longer duration
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Décanté à la dernière minute. Bouchon en bel état. Couleur moyenne, un peu orangée sur le pourtour. Très beau nez de cerises noires, figues, chocolat. Ample et soyeux, alcool en finale, mais beaucoup mieux intégré le lendemain. Superbe avec des fromages persillés.
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Soft cork, dealt with easily with a pseudo-Durand. Upright for a week then decanted removing a lot of quite dense sediment.
The colour is very clear and less dense than I expected.
It's hard to know what to say about this wine: on the nose and the palate for me it is the epitome of great port. Very easy drinking on its own, but pairs very nicely with roquefort.
Drank over about a week and no significant change.
The problem I have with this is that it is "too smooth/perfect" as port. I could drink litres of this at ~US$110 per bottle, but my bank manager might object.
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Coravin tasting pale ruby pronounced aromas of chocolate, berry and boysenberry, sweet cherry and rich vanilla palate, with a cedar-and-black-pepper character underlying rich, sweet, and dense, with an explosion of pepper on the long finish. Lovely balance
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Shane's 6th Annual Game Dinner - Game & Truffle (Chateau Lea, New Jersey): The finishing touch to the 6th Annual Game Dinner. I can’t say my notes on this were thorough, but it was very consistent with previous bottles. Controlled alcohol, rich chocolate and red and black fruit. Long and unctuous. Still a bright dense, dark garnet color. Wonderful with a variety of blue cheeses. Nowhere close to fully mature.
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Decanted first thing in the morning, and then again during dinner - and tasted fresh and juicy despite its age. Lots of deep red fruits, some spice and chocolate in a mid-weight mouth. Terrific structure and balance too.
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This spent about 7 hours in the decanter prior to to it being decanted back in to the bottle where it sat for around 3 hours. A touch of spirit on the nose that dissipated in the glass after a little while. A lovely, sweet blueberry jam taste along with some sweet spice. Lovely balance and reminiscent of other showings of this port.
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The 85 Graham takes a few hours of air to really show its best, candied, grapey, and peppery, spirity. Not one of the top successes from 85 port, but good.
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Just lovely. The cork, however, was frightening to look at, and it took almost half an hour to remove it safe and intact, using a prong opener (plus patience and experience). Once past the cork, though, the wine was beautiful: flowers, ripe black plums, dried figs, rich milk chocolate, and a moment of orange peel just as it moves into a wonderfully long aftertaste. The cork worries me, but if it can survive the corks, this should continue to be a very special wine for decades.
Tasted over three nights. Brick with amber edges, transparent. Black raspberry and plum aromas, complex, elegant, moderately pronounced. Concentrated, jammy, sweet, very round and elegant. Good acidity, no tannin. Extremely long, sweet, hot aftertaste, lasted more than a minute. Outstanding, but in a round and elegant style rather than a powerful wine. Drink soon. Ric
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Deep garnet with orange hues at the rim. Fig jam, toasted nuts, dark chocolate candied orange peel, rhubarb, vanilla, baking spice, long and undulating finish. Full body. Incredible, with years ahead.
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Lighter in Color now, red-orange hues on the rim. Tea leaves, a bit of tar, raisins and nuts in the nose. Same on the palate. Medium long complex finish. Good balance. Can still go for at least a decade.
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Didn't decant, but took 5 days to watch this evolve. Given what I have experienced in the vintage I wasn't surprised it was more on the soft and elegant side. It did gain some body after a few days, but still remained more on the feminine side of vintage port and struggled to hang with some robust Stilton from Neal's Yard. It was solid with dates and creamy medium-dark chocolates (can't handle high cocao bitter styles). Quite enjoyable though with a nice long finish. Has plenty of time left to enjoy, but will probably be the same throughout.
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2017 White Burgundy Dinner (Brasserie Margeaux - Chicago IL): From 375 ml bottle, popped and poured. Rich and jammy, just slightly simpler than I'd prefer, ending with a warm-ish finish as well. Good, but slightly disappointing vs expectations.
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Second bottle of this, decanted for twelve hours and drunk over two days, very smooth, plenty of fruit coming through on the nose and in the mouth, alcohol well integrated, very nice bottle if not a lot going on in the mouth a fairly short finish. The earlier bottle drunk around eight years back had better colour and was a bit hotter and fresher, matter of taste but preferred the earlier one, felt this one had no more to give.
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This was the second of two bottles I picked up through friends in 2015. First one a few years ago was, I believe, heat damaged (almost tawny color, very sporty). This one was much better, with good color and, while a bit hot, nowhere near like the bottle a few years ago. Only had a small glass, but enjoyed it. Now I'm curious to open one of the bottles I purchased on release to compare.
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The 85 Graham's is my go to Port at this time. This bottle did not disappoint other than I was only able to decant it for 3-4 hours so did not show as well as my last bottle which I was able to decant for 12 hours. No heat, smooth, not too sweet, long finish. Small amount not consumed on day one. Drank on day two and it had improved, more fruit, so do not be shy about a long decant.
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45th Birthday Celebration (Chez Nanda): Half bottle. Decanted for ~8 hours. Nice aged plum and fig fruit. Good toffee sweetness. A smidge of heat on the finish.
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"You only turn 45 once" (Chicago, IL): From half-bottle. Quite delicate and showing some nice red fruit flavours; less swarthy than I remember this being. Nevertheless, there are some dried figs and dates here, with a surprising amount of freshness. The spirit here doesn't kick too hard either. Not quite the most complex, but in the grand scheme of port, this is mostly a question of it being too young.
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Ah yes, another great Graham 85 port! Lots of kirsch, sweet figs, candied fruit, maraschino cherries, with acidity to balance it out. It’s alcohol is well integrated and not not on the palate. Just great!
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The glory of mature vintage port is written all over this smashing Graham’s that explodes in the mouth like fireworks with beautiful tension in the still bright acid-fruit balance, featuring generous flavors of dried fig, dried plum, dried dates, chestnut, and impressions of maraschino cherry and birch root, gracefully fading with a persistently sanguine, almost sappy finish. This was all dark cassis jam on release 30 years ago and it has transformed into something entirely different—alchemy in a bottle.
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Simply outstanding! One of the best vintage port I have ever tasted! Smooth and unctuous...not too sweet...complex aromas of spices, ripe fruit and much more... What a treat! Drink now! 95+
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Blair's bottle. Accumulation of all the comments around me: figs, walnut, allspice, antique shop, excellent balance. Someone commented that Grahams rarely show any heat--I had not pondered that before but this bottle certainly proved the point.
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Medium red with clear edges. The nose starts out a bit muted but then opens up, black cherry, figs, leather, antique shop and caramel. Delicious demerara sugar and dried cherry flavours and a perfectly balanced finish.
I have never found Grahams to be any sweeter then other houses. To me they are usually perfectly balanced and rarely ever show overt heat.
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Garnet in color with ruby edges. Nose of cherries,plums, and hints of mocha and tobacco. Tastes of maraschino cherries, prunes, leather, autumnal spices, and dark chocolate. Lovely mouthfeel and well structured. In a good place to drink, but has at least another 10 years ahead.
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A bottle brought by a friend to a dinner; this was excellent; fully mature with a garnet red hue, the nose is beguiling with sweet plummy fruits, raisin tart, lots of spices, and a hint of caramel and dried violet. The palate is delicious; rich yet elegant for Port, it just floats across your tongue, but leaves a long and lingering finish... Excellent
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Bright and lively, colour starting to pale but no browning. Beautifully sweet elegant and fine, tannins are now silky, decanted on Christmas eve for Christmas day lunch - not much left for Christmas day... it really was delicious!
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Like my experience with Warre '85, this became delicately sweet after 30+ days in an open decanter. Originally carefully decanted, but after a month, there was a layer of fine sediment that coated the bottom of decanter, leaving a light colored, sweet cherry drink.
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Cork fell apart to chunks, but was surgically removed. It was stunning that there was no sediment. Very good again. Came in third of six in the tasting group. 92
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Still youthful, deep ruby color. More kirsch than plum on palate. Full bodied, smooth with some alcohol going down that adds complexity without adding heat. So nice on a cold night.
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A lovely port with notes of Kirsch, figs, and plums. The cork was perfect as if the wine was only ten years old. It had a nice balance of fruit and acidity along with a medium finish. It was delicious.
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At the Wolf in Oakland with Walter, Michael and Charles. Decanted for 4 hours. The 1985 Graham VP is one of my favorite ports and this bottle was no exception. Cloves, cinnamon, allspice on the nose. In the mouth I get burnt caramel, raisins, light molasses, some fruit cake nuances and a tad of licorice. Lengthy finish. For some reason I enjoy the Graham profile even more than Fonseca, Taylor and Dow (which I also love). Sadly, my last bottle, but happy it was superb.
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Rich and lovely nose - sunny vine blackberries. Joyous and uplighting like a chorale. Light, fruity and fun vibes. Pure and feminine with a My Little Pony innocence. Roses and other florals appear. Light finish with great persistence. Really fascinating for the contrast to both Malvedos and most 30yr old VP. Really neat.
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initially, the wine comes off light, lots of bright strawberry, herbs, and a little boozy with cranberry juice-like tannins. The second night, the wine filled out noticeably, gaining weight and intensity. More strawberry and rhubarb pie, with a very full mouth-feel, I also get some sort of green herbal funk where the boozyness was the night before, I like it. There is a meatiness to the wine. Very good and very easy to drink.
I found the wine to stay in this happy place for another day or so then it declined in the days following that. Such good juice.
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This bottle was in very good shape, and as might be expected, there was considerable sediment. The wine is mature and very enjoyable. My guess is it will last longer, but I am not sure it will further improve. Decant and give ity some time to breathe.
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Beautiful full-bodied vintage port in mid-age showing a voluminous thick texture and great flavors of black grapes, sweet prunes and smoky minerals. This is a deep wine that just envelopes the palate with sleek richness and is amazing with all types of cheeses. A bit more complexity will develop in the coming years but I like it right now!
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Purchased a case in the 1990's and has been sitting in my cellar ever since. First bottle form the case. Foil and cork in perfect condition. Cork pulled easily with only a slight stain on the bottom millimeter or so of the cork. Decanted for 10-12 hours before consuming. Beautiful mature port. Zero alcohol. Not overly sweet. In a good spot. Did not consume the whole bottle on day one. Finished the last glass on night two so the wine had been out of the bottle for 30 plus hours. Tasted even better! The wine had taken on weight and was noticeably darker. Fantastic, heavy mouthfeel and bursting with fruit. Decant this wine for 24 hours or more and you will be rewarded. The suggested drinking window to 2019 is way off. I expect that this wine will last through 2030 given how it improved with extended exposure to air.
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Clear light red with brown edges. Great spirity nose, brown sugar, baked plums, kirsch, earth, dried cherry and herbs. Beautiful rich plummy flavours and a medium tannic finish.
Always a pleasure to drink this vintage of Graham's
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Delicious. Butter, plum, raisins. Perfectly balanced acidity and sugar. Great stuff just starting to come into its own. Will keep getting better for decades.
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2017 Wine & Food Society of La Jolla Holiday Gala (The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, CA): From a well-cellared bottle, this deep garnet wine is effusive of kirsch, plums, figs, walnuts, marzipan and milk chocolate. Very sweet yet harmonious, it has a viscous mouth texture with soft residual tannins and dense mid-palate. The finish lingers effortlessly. This Port is showing beautifully at this point and should continue to provide pleasure for several more years. Drink now-2030.
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First taste of mature vintage port (I don't know why it took me so long). Bright damson fruit, raisins, mint and chocolate on the nose. Palate is cool, mellow and nicely integrated. A pleasure.
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Vintage ports - 83 vs 85 (P81): Elegant and balanced blackberry fruit with a nice balance. Some nice spices are showing nicely with a touch of vanilla and black pepper. It also has the trademark black liquorice flavors.
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A private tasting (at home): Tasted blind. Mature but lively appearance; sweet Graham style but not luscious or rich, cedary nose, good fruit and freshness, rounded, well integrated tannins, spicy finish, very good length.
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My first note on a port I've already finished 2 cases of.... which says it all. I love the Grahams style and this (plus the 83) is my favorite value vintage to drink now. Not the best vintage, lacking the potential of the more structured 77, but so accessable! The 83 is a touch better and will improve for longer, but this 85 is all about immediate enjoyment. 93pts (vs 94pts for the 83 and 96pts for the 77)
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Jesus, wow. Yet another night that Port accidentally stole the show as WOTN. Residual sugar, dried fruit, plum, fig, apricot, toffee? cinnamon. Most under appreciated wine (Port) on the planet.
Deep, dark reddish-garnet in color with ever-so-slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & dried figs with overtones of spices & earthy/dusty notes, minerals, anise, dark cocoa, honey, coffee, molasses, cedar & a touch of sweet vanilla bean in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, complex, ripe fruit flavors of blackberries, sweet dark cherries, dried figs & raisins with exotic spices, dark cocoa, molasses, honey, minerals & a hint of vanilla. Long lingering & polished finish. Drinks quite well at present but has the grip, fruit & structure to continue with further development with additional aging. An absolutely wonderful & complex Port at 32 years of age! Cork was intact & 1/2 saturated; fill at mid-neck.
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Deep dark ruby colored with a seductive bouquet of chocolate and dark fruit. Luscious and easy to drink with flavors of ripe black plum, prune, blackberry jam and dark chocolate covered dried cherry. Long rich finish with plenty of life left...at least through its 40th birthday.
P.S. One week later this is still going strong! All Chocolate and black fruit compote and just a little heat but oh so delicious!
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Must have been heat damaged. Brown, almost like a tawny; spirity. Bought in 2015, and it will be interesting to now try one of the bottles I bought on release. Last time I had one (in 2004?) it was fantastic.
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A fabulous vintage Port. At least as good, if not better, than when tried 4 years ago. Huge amount of sediment but decanted off easily after standing for a week before opening.
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Big rich strawberry jam fruit. Still very young. This presents as quite simple, with little or no nuance. I don't expect this to develop into anything special.
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Sweet and rich. Strong candied cherry personality. This reminds me of the fancy cherries used as garnishes at high-end cocktail bars. The cherry fruit is rounded out by figs and prunes and lesser notes of baking spices and leather. The fruit is a bit simple and lacks the breadth and elegance of the best ports, though perhaps this will improve with more age.
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Garnet in color with ruby edges. Nose of cherries and moca with hint of tobacco. Tastes of cherry prunes, leather, and dark chocolate. Lovely mouthfeel and well structured. In a good place to drink, but plenty of years of life ahead.
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This is a beautiful port with both richness and complexity. A core of chocolate-covered cherries with notes of violets, wood shavings, and bacon. The fruit has excellent purity and good length.
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Threw a crazy amount of sediment. Wonderful nose of sandlewood, cherry-prune and smoky spice. Jammy sweet, roasted fruit with very mature flavors of prune, smoke, spice and alcohol with such a silky texture. The finish is woodsy and very complex with notes of raisins, figs, floral spices and Arabian nights...This isn't the greatest port I've ever tasted but it is so perfectly mature right now and when you can catch a classic wine at it's aged apogee, it's so often magical even if it's not the best vintage.
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Bright red color. Aromas of sour cherries and red plums. Ripe, medium-bodied fruit in the mouth with very good depth and a nicely balanced finish. This was surprisingly fresh for a 30 year old half bottle but lacked the viscosity and complexity that I would have expected. Drink up!
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This was better on the day we opened it, the bottle was vacuvined and refrigerated. Lost a little of its freshness after two days. Otherwise consistent tasting note.
A private dinner (@ Home): Second (pristine) bottle from a case and frankly identical to my note from August 2013. A decent port wine but lacks the richness and sweetness that is to be expected from Graham's in 1985 and that I have experienced on other occasions. Dry, cedar and spearmint, transparent and remarkably youthful, crushed red berries, tannic finish, good length. I don't know what's wrong, but this is again not up to par. Just like the previous bottle, this softens considerably after a day in the decanter, with an attractive, warm and cedary nose and a palate with notes of milk chocolate and red berries, but it remains too light.
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Double decanted, light ruby with a touch of orange, sweet red fruit with a touch of prune, mod. tannins, long finish; best bottle yet & delicious, drink or hold
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Dark vibrant red. Tons of red fruit, cassis, mineral and plums. Delicious ripe red fruit flavours. Tons of tannins to balance out the sweetness and the fruit.
A young version of the 77? Maybe destined to be one of the all time greats? I think so.
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The Port Forum Does Grahams VP in NYC (Lupulo Restaurant, NYC): My contribution. Decanted at 2 pm. Decanted clean through cheesecloth and then washed out the bottle. Th decant wa clean but the bottle was full of massive crud. Very glad I had left it upright in the bottle for 10 days. Poured back into the bottle at 7 pm. dinner at 8:30 pm. Too young. Enjoyable but still tannic with a bit of bite and astringency despite the sweetness. Pleasurable but when it compares to the 1955, the 1977 and the 1970, it is not up to the best. Needs another 10-ish years at least.
Brought some home and finished it on day two. The tannins were gone and it had lightened up a bit. Lost the bite and was smoother, but less intense. sweet red fruit.
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Second Sunday Group: 1996 Bordeaux (high end) (Marty's): Notes of cherry, currants, cassis and licorice with subtle chocolate and floral notes. Drinking very well; flavors of cherry cordial, cassis and licorice. Long finish.
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The more I drink, the more I appreciate the value of tannins and their importance in the pleasure of a finish. Based on this comment, this wine is at peak for me. It is a fully mature ruby, with aromas of cedar, plums, and toffee. In the mouth, plums, followed by fruit cake, and then a roasted nutty finish, which is what I crave in an awesome port. The tannic structure provides the feel of youth and pushes the nutty finish on and on...This port is worth every penny for the port lover in you and the ones around you! Drink or Hold...
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From 1/2 bottle. This is really in a great place for current consumption and likely plateaus for a very long time. The primary cherry cough syrupy characters have morphed with time into a lovely sophisticated much more nuanced treat. The slightly sweeter character of Graham's style remains ever present and combined with the dark red cherry flavors, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, this becomes heavenly. Well integrated acid and tannin stucture frames the fruit charter very well. Smoothly textured with just enough bite and a long red candy fruit finish. Can you tell I liked this? Highly drinkable for a port. Makes you want to pour just one more taste again and again. I like where it is at currently because you get both good fruit flavors and the spiced nuances.
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Delicious, simply delicious. Garnet color to almost clear at the rim. Aromas dark fruits and alcohol. Medium sweetness, full bodied. Complex flavors of juicy plums, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, boysenberries, cough syrup, creamy caramel, vanilla, baking spices, espresso, coffee grinds, dark chocolate, honey and a very unique minerality. Extra long finish with the darker fruits and flavors pulling through nice and strong. Deeply enjoyed with a Davidoff Limited Edition Winston Churchill cigar. Wish this would never end. Double Decanted 1-2 hrs. Dreamy and highly recommended.
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Good wine, good food, good company (Park Avenue Winter): Another night of side by side ports. This had a much more tawny look to it (Fonseca of same vintage was dark cherry color). Could possibly have used a decant, the alcohol was still relatively prevalent and it didn't have time to really blow off. After that it was toffee on the tongue which went quite well with the sticky toffee pudding that they served.
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Concentrated wine with coffee, chocolate, dark fruit - and a firm bit of alcohol. This is still a very, very young vintageport, and it will benefit from further cellaring - say ten years, at least.
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1985 vintage port will never be wrong to drink, this wine has always tasted wonderfully well, but is now perhaps even better than ever, tannins begins to be rounded off, will hold another 30 years, if you want to save a few bottles for your children or grandchildren
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Sold, decently plummy port. Drinking well but no great complexity yet. Years left. Confirms my lack of interest in decent port, just doesn't really do anything for me.
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Classic Graham. I bought 2 cases of this in 1988 and am down to my last 6 bottles. Fully mature but will last decades. Tons of sweet fruit balancing the alcohol and rounding out with a lingering finish. Some nice Stilton and toasted pecans in front of a fire... Heaven!
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Despite a double decant 4 hours this was rather sulky. The final glass was the most enjoyable. Beginning to brown; the nose was closed though with coaxing & time a classic profile emerged, plus dark chocolate & soaked plums. Plenty of depth & concentration, textbook Graham's sweetness, with the best part being a near glorious finish. A long distance runner for now & next 20+ years.
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4th time from my cellar, and not as good as first 3, but still a decent wine. Mature cherry red. Prune, fig and chocolate on the nose. Not as smooth as prior bottles with noticeable alcohol on the finish. Prune and cherry on the palate. Not as sweet as a usual Graham, but still nice
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My bias is that I don't like Port. This was a gift, impeccably stored since release, and it was very alcoholic and still very young. Those who like Port liked it.
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Likeable port, however, not enough fruit to merit a higher score, a tad to sweet for the fruit as well. Slightly alcoholic finish. I do not see any bright future here; nothing hidden beneath.
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Still young, with its parts not quite fully melded together, the wine showed a lot of ripe, black cherry liqueur, dark chocolate, raisins and figs in its lush, fat, sweet character. I like Vintage Port with a lot of age. I'd give it at least another decade of further development.
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Rated on day two. Surprisingly youthful ruby color. Some lightening, but not much. The bottle and cork showed more age. Effusive aromas. Smells like mulled wine - clove, allspice and raisins. A lot of heat on day one turns to sweetness on day two. Warm entry. Palate complicated by blackberry, raisins and brandy. Alcohol poking through both days. Relatively thin. 92
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Decanted 7 hours. Sweet, fruity, big aromas. Dark berries, raisins, bramble, honey, cassis flavors. Soft, velvety tannins. This is a leaner and medium body and texture port. Rich, lush and delicious.
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Scorching and gorgeous nose on a really balanced light-weight drinkable but still intense and complex port. Every kind of bark. Not too heavy; not too sweet. Some blueberry chemical on night two.
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Perfect way to end our wedding night. Delicious aromatics, perfect balance, showing some aged qualities while still retaining a core of berries and spice.
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This was drunk over a month. Each time, new aromas and tastes were revealed. Blackberry, boysenberry, licorice. This had integrated tannins that were velvet to the palate. A long lingering finish. This is a superb port with probably a lot of life left.
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Faded red with only a hint of tawny. Molasses, sweet and fragrant, a nicely balanced richness, raisins, toffee and honey. Has definitely turned from the super ripeness of youth to a more mature wine with earthy, Xmas pudding and roasted raisin flavours and a classicly leaner texture. At 30yrs it still has bags of richness and fruit, all the more impressive from a half-bottle. A powerful and long resonating finish with rich fruit and spice.
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Ambri's 30th birthday at our place! This '85 Graham was making people's hearts flutter. 8-hour decant. Really fabulous where smooth round fruit meets fire and iron; roasted hay and just sweet enough. Fully integrated but plenty energetic. Nice and long.
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This finally hit its stride after being open for four days. The rich aroma is literally room-filling. In the first day or three it had a restraint that convinced you there was more lying underneath the surface. When it finally emerged a wine of smooth richness and power. Classic iron fist in velvet glove stuff. Drink or hold, it may be around peak but thieswas from a 375; 750s may be behind in development.
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mouldy cork, which was soaked through and came out in two pieces. Luckily, no cork dropped into the content. Double decanted, and served after 3 hours, followed over several hours. I guess bottle variation is the key here. This was an ok bottle, but reading other notes, something was clearly amiss with my experience. There is some trace of TCA on the nose here, giving a mouldy attic, wet cardboard aroma, but there is also syrupy blackberry, prunes, orange rind, licorice, and tobacco. Palate texture is quite balanced with good sweetness wihtout being cloying, and a medium+ aftertaste. No real complexities though, whether due to TCA, or something else i am not sure.
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'Tis the season for drinking old port, if you have it. This is still remarkably fresh and fruity, despite a crumbling cork. Light and refreshing in the mouth initially, but then a long, long grippy finish that is sheer ecstasy. A remarkable example of how a thirty year port can be.
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Still drinking very well. Clearly at its peak, but I suspect it's decline will proceed slowly, providing some five more years of enjoyment, perhaps more.
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Delicious rich round port. Layered flavors and nose. Medium to full bodied. Not too syrupy. Great with almost any dessert. Thoroughly enjoyed by all. Perfumed chocolatey raisin and black cherry. Delicious..
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Superb showing as previously. Fresh and youthful, profound, with tame enough spirit after 12 hours in the decanter. Maybe my favorite Graham's, a terrific value, to hold for decades.
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This is drinking beautifully right now. Medium bodied, still a good amount of fruit, with the sophisticated flavors of a mature port. Go for Grahams when you buy older port you can get it for a steal.
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After 6 hours in the decanter this is simply sublime - I could talk about nose of this, and notes of that, but I think the word "sublime" was invented to describe this.
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Un nez de fruit noir frais (prunes et cassis), de l'anis, un peu d'épices, de toffee. La bouche est onctueuse, c'est dense et fin à la fois, une véritable caresse pour le palais. Il a en fait la texture soyeuse d'un grand Bordeaux, la fraicheur, la jeunesse et l'équilibre d'un vin qui pourrait vivre encore plus de cinquante ans. Le meilleur Vintage que j'ai pris depuis vingt ans. Grand vin. 96 pts
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This spent 6 hours in a decanter before being decanted back into the bottle for transportation and was consumed around 10 hrs after opening. I thought this might have had a touch of TCA at first as I was picking up something slight on the nose that didn't quite smell right. It was very faint and ultimately had no impact on the enjoyment of the port. I was the only one of the group that picked up on it but I was also the only one to have had this port before. There is a bit of cocoa and cinnamon on the nose and an explosion of sweet spice, ripe berries with that hint of cocoa on the palate. Lovely length and balance.
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Öppnade vi för en dryg vecka sedan och blev mycket tveksam till. Otroligt okomplicerad, söt bagatell.
Men, nu var den i fantastisk form! Fraktade det decanterade portvinet i PET-flaska från Japan till London och hällde tillbaka det i originalflaskan, med glada tillrop om att jag måste ha varit Rudy's hemlige hjälpreda. Ett kraftfullt vin idag, med otroligt intensiv röd frukt, brutalt ungt och med en lysande framtid bra mycket längre bort i tiden. Dricker för lite portvin... Tufnell Park Tavern i London.
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I didn't take formal notes (wedding reception and all, and I was the Best Man), but I was only able to give this magnum about 3 hours of decant before the reception started so it might have had 4 total by the time we started drinking. It was a bit spirity to start, but that integrated quickly and by the time the toasts rolled around it was singing. Champagne for most in attendance, Port for me and a handful of others.
Lots of purple and black berries on the nose. Stone fruits were in abundance on the palate. The berries and sweetness in the mouth were nicely balanced by very smooth but still formidable tannins. The acidity was good and very nicely integrated - it wasn't really noticeable except for making the Port seem very juicy. The finish was very long and seemed to grow longer as we progressed through the bottle.
In magnum this Port probably has another 10 years of improvement to go, and will then hold on its plateau for 10-20 more years.
Nose of sweet raisins and dark, sweet fruit. Palate was very enjoyable with the tannins fading and the secondary flavors playing the primary role. Nice long finish. Very enjoyable and killer with a piece of dark chocolate.
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Has made transition from grape to honey appearance. Very viscose and thick, and well balanced showing age and maturity, with a continuation of the large presence of fruit in a liquor like forum (in a good way).
It is still silky, hinting the desire to nap another 5 years to lose some of the fruit ad become more complex. No raisin, with a very pleasant warm ending.
Very nice dessert choice if you gottem....
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Vintage Port (Fem Bord, Trondheim): Here we go! Lovely fruit. Dense and meaty without going over the top. Packs a punch, but keeps the balance. No warmth. Love it!
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purple garnet. Nose and taste were seamless. Nothing stood out as out of place, medium sweet, smooth, plums, cinnamon. Just delightful and a home run with Stilton.
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Wonderful to compare to all the other Ports of the night. Definitely the most "grapey" of them all, but with the age the nuances come through now that the '94 Grahams was not ready to reveal. Overripe blackberries with sweet long tannins. Not as much sediment as I would have expected. A very rich Port with a long finish.
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The cork was completely soaked, but came out in one piece. There was some seepage under the capsule, but otherwise the wine seemed perfectly fine. We decanted the wine for five hours and left a truly large amount of muddy sediment (equaling at least one glass of wine) in the bottle. The wine offered blackberry, blueberry, cherry, plum, cucumber, chocolate, spices and a hint of tea on the nose. On the palate the wine showed blackberry, blueberry, cherry, plum, raisins, a boatload of chocolate, gingerbread, spices, clove, a hint of tobacco and black tea leaves. The Port was medium- to full-bodied and sweet, with medium-level acidity, medium-plus round, well-integrated tannin and very good length. It kept improving as time passed and seemed young. A very balanced, fruity, medium-complex Port that can be consumed now, but should continue to drink well for many years.
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Tasted this wine over a two day period and much preferred it on day 2 for it's better balance and reduced tannins on the back end.
The color was a deep Burgundy purple and looked very youthful in appearance. This does not look like a almost 30 year old wine at all. The nose was very nice , sweet and floral.
Taste: Very, very good with a high level of sweetness in a rather rich full bodied style. The level of complexity and lingering finish is not as refined as the 1970 or 1977 Fonseca port but the rich and warm dark fruit provide a very satisfying experience on a nice cool winter night. Still some noticeable tannins on the finish indicate it still has many more years to go before it reaches peak maturity. I would try another bottle in 6-10 years time. A excellent 93 point wine indeed.
Update: I actually drank this bottle over a four day period during Thanksgiving and found it best on Day 3. It really came together beautifully after 72 hours with open exposure to air and no gas. On the 4th day there was a slight hardness compared to day 3 and I could tell it was starting a slow decline. A 93+ drinker after being open for 72 hours otherwise not quite as good.
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Cork pushed out a few millimetres (or not pushed in far enough?), very good level (into neck), no signs of any seepage; cork firm and extracted without difficulty. Mature but lively appearance, bright red core; rather modest nose even after several hours in the decanter, nothing of the customary Graham richness and sweetness, relatively dry and cedary, feels muted, empty even - and is there perhaps just a hint of TCA? On the palate vibrant and juicy but with a relatively light weight, again drier than expected, no faults but not consistent with previous notes either; rather light finish of decent length only. Still an adequate port but I have had much better bottles of this. First of a case - I hope this is a fluke! (89). Returned to the bottle after four hours and retasted after two days. Has opened up a bit and now displays a mature, liquorous cherry and milk chocolate character, with a nice hint of Cognac. This represents a marked improvement but still nowhere near what this VP should be capable of. (90)
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Better than on 10/28/11. Sweet earthy nose but rather subdued. Crisp acidic body with flavors of red berries, figs, and a nice green note. I'm not plagarising Gelliot but I also called it Rhubarb. A wonderful wine. Tasted from a bottle that was opened 3 days ago and kept under cork.
Color: Dark red with purple overtones. Opaque in the center. Fades toward pink at the rim but with distinct orange tones.
Nose: More spirit than usual, but that could be the ambient heat. Lots of rhubarb and ripe strawberry. A bit of blackberry and maybe some blueberry, though the blueberry is more of an echo. Also some anise and some very (very) faint caraway. Possibly also some black pepper, which seems unusual for a Graham.
Palate: Rhubarb here, too, as well as some tart strawberry. The alcohol from the nose isn't noticeable except as heat behind the black pepper, again not typical for a Graham. Purple brambles (mulberry, I think) present here along with blackberries and black raspberries. There are still quite a lot of tannins, though you'd never mistake it for a 2003. I'd probably believe you if tasted blind and told it was a '91 or '95, though.
Finish: Nice warmth, a few tannins, and some vague purple or black fruits. The finish is very crisp and pleasant. The end of a long tail shows some typical tart apples.
This bottle again strikes me as needing more time, but seemed a little more approachable now than my last. I'd say 5-10 more years to really hit its stride, but possibly more. I wouldn't even touch magnums for 10 years, and they'll probably need 20 more to be singing. Perhaps for my retirement party.
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Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 6/25/2013-6/26/2013: The wine looks Tawny colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Espresso, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Walnut, and Butterscotch. The body is Full. The wine has Bright texture. The wine finishes Long. Barry's Port.
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I don't seem to have a great deal of luck with Grahams. Maturing colour and plenty of sediment. After eight hours, rather mute nose and a slightly spirity flavour though decent plummy fruit with a bit of clove. Moderate sweetness. Better the next day, more figgy but no better than decent. A little subdued.
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Mature pale cherry red. Fine nose of plum, licorice and fig. Wonderful complex palate of plum, chocolate and fig. No tannin. I loved the soft, velvet complexity and balance of this wine. Great way to end our great annual Holiday lunch at Bibou in Philly.
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End of year dinner; Break out the good stuff- Alto Adige, Rhone, Bordeaux, Barolo, Loire and Port. (Amali.): From a half bottle, it shows a little more youthfully on the nose than it does on the palate, with the aromas being dominated by cherry, plum and baker's spices. Flavor wise, the cherry, plum and spice are there, but more complex and mature fig and toffee notes also make an appearance. Typically sweet and nicely balanced with a warm, rich and lingering finish. The alcohol is nicely integrated and while starting to take on a more mature profile, the wine shows freshness. A/A-.
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Great bottle from excellent provenance, perfect cork. I may have decanted this a little early, as it had a decant at 9 am for 6 o'clock pouring, but time constraints made me do it. Glad I tasted it in the morning. Still ruby red at center, with slight bricking, this has come into a nice place. Fig, licorice, plum cover the palate and leave you with flavors of caramel for over a minute. This is beginning to becoming less of a brute and showing some light signs of full maturity. I can't wait to try it again in a few years.
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Double decanted at 1 p.m. for consumption starting around 6:30 p.m. Expected amount of crust was easy to get a clear pour off of despite not standing bottle up prior. Initial impression from end of bottle was of prune, plum, licorice, and fig cake on the nose with a prune, fig, and spirit palate that lingered in a syrupy, long finish. By serving time, the nose and palate had less evident spirit and more berry elements. Licorice joined on the palate and the finish remained long and sweet. This is drinking well after a suitable amount of air. I see toffee and caramel elements possible in the future and expect this wine to have a long life. Drink or hold.
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Light ruby. Very ripe, pruny nose. Very sweet with fig, molasses, and chocolate. Despite this array, it still seems dense and simple for a port of this age. Not particularly bright acidity, so a bit dull and heavy tasting. I will see how this bottle fares over the next few days, but not a tremendously promising start.
Now, after 24 hours in the decanter, more plummy, spicy and perfumed. It has really relaxed and is more airy and less monolithically dense. Less sweet too. I guess the moral of the story is that this needs a good day's decant to begin showing anything like mature port, but it still is not going to win any prizes for complexity or elegance.
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Symington-smaking i regi av Aperitif (Gamle Logen, Oslo): Farge: Rødsvart, mørk, men litt modning med rødt mot kanten. Duft: Kompleks, balansert nese, litt lukket, åpner seg med lufting, delikat, kompleks. Smak: Ganske søt, rik, men..... En god vin, men jeg ble ikke helt overbevist. MEN det hjelper med lufting. Gi den luft eller prøv igjen om noen år.
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Deep violet in color. Aroma of dark berry and licorice. Flavors of blackberry, violet, pepper and chocolate. Supple tannins, great structure. Excellent.
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On offer in the bar at O&C, so no assurance on how long the bottle had been open. Deep ruby color. Plums, figs, spice--and a hint of something savory?--on the nose and the palate. Long finish. Much more interesting than the Taylor's '77 tasted alongside. Yum.
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Color: Deep ruby to garnet. Not quite opaque in bright light. Lots of gooey sediment in the bottle.
Nose: Stone fruits and bramble berries for the most part. Some plum along with blackberries and black currants. I get an impression of underlying change, in the sense that it seems like I can smell fermenting grapes. It's a little bit lodge-like, but not quite.
Palate: Darker and more brooding than past experience with this Port. Plums and prunes, ripe blackberries, and very rich and dark grapes. Good tannins and good acidity, though the tannins seem to be starting to fade.
Finish: Warm and comforting. Some tannins initially, but then mostly an echo of the palate. Nice and long and even includes some tart applies as it fades out.
This bottle seems to have taken a step backward relative to past experience, but also seems to indicate a need for further aging. Most of my experience with the G85 is that it is fabulous and very approachable right now... this bottle backs off a bit from that and says "give me some more time." My gut says 5-10 years to re-settle, but that assumes that it's already integrating and not still thrashing about trying to find itself. Regardless, an excellent Port to drink today and likely an outstanding Port again in a few years.
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Dinner at Home (Vancouver, BC): No formal notes. Notes of dark cherries, Christmas cake and spice. Bright and youthful on the palate with good concentration and acidity with a long finish. Young but drinkable. Needs 5-10 years. Excellent. 91+
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HOT HOT HOT, Tons of alcohol. Way out of balance. Drank with Starla at my home and she agreed about the heat. Given the high regard bestowed on this wine by this board, I can only assume this is an off bottle. Given the fact that this and the previous bottle have the same flaw, this is from a bad barrell, had poor provinence, or else ??? SCORE WITHELD
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Sunday Group: 2000 Bordeaux (Barb's): pale ruby color. Lovely black fruit- cassis, plum, blueberry, anise and lavender aromas. Loads of fruit on the palate; long finish.
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Decanted about 4 hours. Lovely medium red color with a hint of brown at the edge, rather like a middle-aged Burgundy. Classic, though soft, Graham nose of flowers, plums, tea, tar, Asian spices, and figs. Beautifully integrated on the palate with not hint of heat and good, mature fruit. Rather short on the finish. A lovely drink but seemed a bit past its prime to me.
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St. Patrick's Day Tasting (East Bay): From a magnum. Light bricking, nose has lovely raisoned fruit; complex palate, just the right amount of sweetness, not overly hot, integrated tannins and structure, quite light and fresh on the palate (a good thing). Ready to drink now and excellent overall.
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Decanted 12 hours. Lovely deep garnet, only slight browning to rim. Fine black fruits and tons of them, cherry brandy, liquorice and warm spices. Lively acidity, great balance. Very long. Some sharp minerally quality too. The level had been very top shoulder, hence opened it just in case. Was no need, really just into maturity and no more. Lovely drink. Cork was still solid too, little seepage.
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Still deep purple. Amazingly fresh ripe berry flavors, though not heavy like a fresh young port. After a number of tiring '85's, I am surprised how young and unevolved this is. Despite the "relative" lightness, this seems like it would easily last and improved over the next decade or two. Better than ****
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Double decanted. A sharp, pruney finish I neither understood nor enjoyed took three and a half days of air to relax and integrate; and only then did this confess the port it could be. Now deep and dark, and slightly drying despite how juicy, it still ends with a hint of sezchuan bark and should not be enjoyed with fewer than several days' air. update: Even better six days in! 90+
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THis is showing quite nicely Glenn decanted it for much of the day and I think that helped a lot of the alcohol to blow off so it didn't seem out of balance. It came across as quite rounded. Obviously darker fruits like fig and raisins dominated. The wine seemed to have great balance and harmony and that's what stood out. This was one of the better ports I've had in a while. Imported by Vieux vins, Inc.
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From a half bottle with about 3 hours of decant time before tasting. The color is between dark brick red and brown. Prunes and figs leapt from the glass with similar flavors along with some almond/nut. The fresh balanced acidity really helps this wine. Easily my favorite vs. '85 Smith-Woodhouse and '85 Dow's.
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Fig and almond nose. This was smooth and lovely when tasted. Creme brulee, fig, almond extract and mocha. Just a little light on the finish or this would have scored even higher.
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DAY 1 Bouquet: Sherry, light notes of varnish, fig, aged chocolate liquor, dry wood, plum Flavor: Plum, wood, dry chocolate liquor. DAY 2: Served at a slightly too warm room temperature Bouquet: Some alcohol, soy/oyster sauce, prune, dash of chocolate liquor Flavor: Plum, prune, dried cherry. Long Finish ending with chocolate liquor Comments: Full flavor on a lighter than expected frame thanks to the age. Will chill slightly next time. DAY 5: Bouquet: Dried plum, black cherry, dried fig, mocha and pepper Flavor: Plum, Dark cherry with pepper on the mid-palate and finishes long with chocolate liquor. Comments: Peppery character is more noticeable. Very nice with vanilla ice cream on a brownie. Neither the bouquet or the flavor becomes pruney or raisony.
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Garnet to perhaps dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose is a bit subdued giving way to aromas of lacquer, licorice and cigar box. Flavors of licorice and berries. Medium acidity, medium body. Drink or hold. This bottle was a bit under-performing from what I would have expected.
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Opened at my place after Susan's birthday dinner at the new Oak Cliff Gloria's Restaurant. From .375 Filtered and decanted with no air time before serving. Seconday and tertiary aromas lept from the bottle when opened promissed an event not to be fulfilled. Mid plum color, indicative of age. Tobacco and leather on the palate, accompanied by a low level of heat. The presence of the heat constantly intimidated the next sip and basically ruined the experience. Three drinkers did not finish the .375. Score would be several points higher, sans the heat. Maybe my second bottle will show better, but I haveno hope.
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Can't say I agree more with jantor's review of 1/21/2011. An excellent port/wine. Now I haven't had the Taylor '48 or the Fonseca '77, but heck, I was pretty happy with this one. Had this wine along with three other wines while attending a major herf (cigar fest) late at night with some of my cigars buds in Orlando, FL. This port really stood out. Balanced well with a variety of the cigars we were smoking, did not clash with the other wines we were drinking; neither did it overpower the palate as to diminish our experience of the rest of the wines/cigars/late night snacks. Very classy!
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It is 7-or 8 years since I last had a Grahams 1985 - and it was very good - but this one really surprised me. Still opaque dark dense color. Very fresh and almost young fruity nose with wood, sweet cherries, plums, some raisins and sweet chocolate. The taste is wonderful - dense, sweet and "symmetric". Still fresh and fruity with a lot of tannins, concentration, length that never ends. An array of aromas. Power and complete harmony at the same time - wow! Only beaten by Taylor 1948 and a Fonseca 1977.
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Color: A brilliant ruby stream was poured into the decanter and became a healthy deep garnet. Lots of sediment remained in the bottle. Nose: Floral grapes and perfumed alcohol give an impression of lilacs. Some tomatoes give it a slight tang. The lilacs are quite strong. Possibly some honeysuckle. Underlying mulberry or other bramble type berry. Palate: Mellow, round red fruits. Raspberry, but not tart. Sweet strawberry, some light plum. Some tannins, but fading. Good acidity. Tries to present some chocolate, but doesn't quite get there. Medium body, medium sweet. Finish: The same mellow red fruits with a slightly metallic aftertaste. Good warmth, very good length.
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Decanted for 12 hours. Still quite deep and primary looking. The nose is sweet and figgy but mostly integrated with some secondary perfume. Dense and sweet in the mouth but beautifully balanced by acidity and round tannins. This bottle must have been locked in a time capsule; although the nose gives a hint of maturity, we would have never guessed 25 year old port from the color or palate. Hold for 10+ years if you are seeking a mature port experience.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru; 12/10/2010-12/11/2010 (Chicago, IL): Dark purple colour. Nose of figs and other black fruits, sweet, and without a big whiff of spirit. Some notes of cacao and coffee. This is very approachable and fruity on the palate, with relatively muted spirit. Notes of black figs. A liqueur-like texture and finish. A tenor to the bass that is Taylor. Simpler and more primary than the '77. Warming (instead of hot), and I imagine a great fireplace sipper for those cold winter nights.
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Deep red center, red to pink rim with some signs of age. Sweet, almond, a little cut grass, blackberry, blackcurrant, smoke. Very sweet, a little astringency, faded fruit with alcohol, a little vegetal, smooth long finish. Excellent, mature, maybe best of the 85s.
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Popped and Poured: Med red with a little brick at the edge. Sharp liquer-like nose, cocoa, plum, mint. Flavours of blackberry, plum and cocoa. Rich and fresh with a tangy, menthol and alcohol finish. This is delicious at 25 years. Sweetness is not the most prominent feature, nor is tannin. Wonderfully balanced. After the bottle is open for 24 hours: Dark fruit and mint on the nose, with a lot more cocoa. Very silky with the blackberry annd cocoa. Sturdy and probably excellent for another 10 to 20 years. Now open for 72 hours, I notice licorice, too. still vigorous.
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Incredible. Slightly sweet, bright red fruit. Very light for a port, but very smooth, round mouthfeel. A little bit of spice on the a lingering, complex finish. I hope to enjoy this again. The best port I've ever had, and one of the best wines period. One of those wines you can't even pick apart the flavor, everything just melds together in perfection.
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I hesitate to bother with a note for a Port of this age.(But here goes...) There is just so much bottle variation beyond 20 years--Port if anything even more variable than Claret at this stage. My last bottle 5 years ago really didn't sing. Well, provenance matters, and this bottle has been twice by ship across the globe and pretty well cellared in between. (So only moderately promising.) The colour a lovely ruby red, remarkably light, though with only a hint of brown on a pale rim. I write this fairly soon after opening. A waft of fig and castor sugar--but not intrusive as Warres can be. Alcohol not obtrusive. Starting to become fairly light in weight though a beautiful long finish. This bottle has lived up to early expectation (being old enough now to have seen this throughout its evolution). A good bottle like this would be good 10-20 years more.
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I decanted the port about 9 hours before we tried it. The cork had bulged out a bit and smelt slightly burnt, which didn't bode well. The wine was still quite closed but after a couple of hours in the decanter, it started to open up. Unforunately, it was slightly corked, but not so bad that it made it undrinkable!
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Very nice. Sweetness and alcohol in good balance. A bit overpowering raisin at first open, but this dissipated some. Lots of red fruits and extremely enjoyable.
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Color: Medium garnet with some bricking. Fades through pink at the rim. Nose: Light Christmas spices, ripe strawberry, plum. Some unidentifiable bramble berry. Some alcohol, but it is behind the fruits. Some very faint meatiness and minerals. Overall impression is of a rich sweetness. I could be fooled into believing that this was a Taylor, but it is sweeter and richer than that. Palate: Yum. Rich, sweet, red berries lead the way with just a hint of heat. Medium full body and medium sweet to sweet. Not cloying, but very rich. Tannins are present but not obtrusive. Acidity is very good making it seem very juicy. Very slightly acrid note late in the palate... probably just needs another 5-10 years of age to finish mellowing (or 4-6 hours of decant time... this is pop-n-pour). Finish: Starts out with some moderate tannins and a little heat, then some mellow red fruits. Mid way through there's some grape skin which slowly melts away leaving just a pleasant heat. 45 seconds in there's some very faint apple.
A classic '85 Graham. Drinking beautifully now but with easily another 10-15 years of aging left before it hits its peak. I agree with Roy's most recent note estimating that its peak will be between 2020 and 2030. One of my favorite Vintage Ports.
The final wine of our "Remember the 80's" tasting. Decanted about 3 hours before serving. A somewhat bright red coloring accompanied by notes of cherry, red fruit and then some earthiness. Fully put togather but it seemed a bit light compared to other 1985 ports consumed in the past 6 months.
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Light, translucent garnet with amber undertones. Sweet but not cloying with smoldering peat, caramel and charred almonds. Fruit pretty much dissipated. Long, morning-after finish. No need to wait on this one.
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Acker Merrill Purchase from two years ago. Stood up for 3 days. Firm cork extracted with Screwpull, intact in fine shape. Decanted slowly. Using a candle doesn't help with sediment, the bottle and wine are an impenetrable combination! Used sieve for last quarter, a slow drip.
Decanted sample is quite leggy with clear glycerin, translucent ruby; alcoholic, sweet and luscious on the nose; black cherry in a chocolate & tobacco robe, coating and mouth-wateringly long. It will sit for 6+ hours before service.
This is gonna be good... More to come.
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Drank with stilton cheese after a holiday feast. Decanted for eight hours, which was adequate. A great deal of sediment, which was easily removed. Absolutely delicious! Quince, dark fruit, cherries on the nose and palate. Still very young but what a treat. This wine deserves all of the praise it has received in the notes here.
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Great looking. Deeper color than expected. Decanted 8 hours. A bit muted in flavor. Very good, but not as good as usual. All the flavors are there but not as intensely as I expect it to be.
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Decanted six hours, which probably wasn't nearly long enough (at least for this bottle). Raisin, dark cherry nose. Sweet on the palate but with a good tannic backbone kicking in the end. Wonderfully long, sweet finish. No heat as in previous notes.
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Decanted six hours prior to consumption. Cork saturated, but not leaking. Lovely well-balanced red fruit/fig nose. Very nice on palate, lots of round mouth feel and finishes well. Multi-dimensional port with a finish that just goes on and on.
Outstanding!
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Decanted cleanly off of significant sediment. The cork was completely soaked through, but hadn't yet allowed any leakage.
Deep garnet in the decanter, more of a deep ruby in the glass. A wonderful nose of strawberries and fully ripe red raspberries, with just enough alcohol to give it some heat even in the nose. Afterwards, the dried glass smells of raisins and cinnamon.
Medium bodied and medium sweet in the mouth. Beautifully balanced with just the right amounts of red fruit, heat, and tannins. Some light milk chocolate and slightly darker fruits - possibly ripe mulberries - developed with time.
A very good bottle with probably another 10 years of potential improvement left, or drinking superbly right now.
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Lunch at the Square (Mayfair, London): An absolutely lovely port, and a real treat with stilton cheese. Stunningly young though. Along with lovely spice cake, figs, raisins, toasty smoked nuts and mahogany tones on the nose, there was also a fresh dark fruit component, perhaps shading into quince preserve, that ran through the nose an into the palate. And what a palate that was too. Superb balance, lively acidity lending a great freshness, very well fruited with more of that lovely dark fruit, almost liquered, and lovely secondary characteristics of vine leaves, all in a clean, lithe package with the lushest tannins. There was a really nice expansion of fruit in the mid-palate as well, very quince-paste like flavours. Finish was nice and bright, with a linger of smokiness and prickly acidity. This still has a very long way to go, especially when compared with the 1983 and 1980, which seem miles more developed. Excellent. I would have rated this even more, if not for the fact that there seems to be a little gap, a little hidden complexity in there that will take some bottle-age to coax out. A real pleasure on the day though.
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Very dark red-purple, with a slightly tight nose of burnt sugar, although this did open up after some time in the glass and vigorous swirling. On the palate, showing a hint of mature earthiness but overall still powerfully fruity and youthful, and fairly tannic. Rich raspberry, chocolate and licorice notes make this very nice to sip now, and I would expect even better things in another 5 years or so. If I open another of these soon, I'll decant for 2-3 hours, but did not have time on this occasion.
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nite with boys celebrating new job for me.....bottle was very nice , rich wine....lots of muted alcohol on the nose....this was great way to spend the nite than Andy brought the 1916 Hoopers
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Decanted for 2 1/2 hours. Beautiful nose. Intoxicating raisin and vanilla. Lighter than many comparably great vintages, but not thin. Solid structure. Cherry and berry flavors prevalent. Very nice and reasonably long finish. This is probably hitting its peak from what I can tell. Might not hold onto it too much longer. Overall a treat to behold.
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Decanted for 3 hours. A bit of heat blew off over time in the decanter. Still a rich, young port with many good years ahead. Dark fruits, spice, highlighted with a finish of fine tannins and dark cherry.
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Hazy ruby with a purple tone. Delivers gorgeous aromas and flavours of chocolate, cherries and spice. Concentrated, refined and luscious with silky tannins and a long lingering finish.
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A proof that there are no great wines, just great bottles, this particular bottle of Graham's 1985 is simply off scale. Aromatically very much in line with my prior notes: crunchy red berries -- currents or pomegranate, white chocolate, spice cake. But what a palate impression this bottle gives -- supple, almosy satiny. Absolutely riveting. I've drunk perhaps 20 bottles of the 1985 Grahams. This one, though, is from another planet!
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Nose of chocolate and a bit of a mustyness that blows off after a bit. Medium to full body. Moderate tannin. Lush, silky, sweet. Some leather. medium finish. Dark berries. Full lush tannin. Enjoyed this more than the '77 Graham's.
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Mature slightly pale red in color. Subtle nose of plum, cherry and cocoa, but pleasant. Soft and smooth on the palate. Balanced sweetness, but not overly so, of plum, cherry, cocoa and blueberry. A hint of alcohol on the finish. No tannin and ready to go. Nice conclusion to multi course byob dinner that went well with cheese course and following creme brulee.
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Decanted 3 hours. Corked soaked through. It had not leaked but was close to failing. Dark color. Not opaque, but still quite dark. Subtle nose. Nice spice, and not hot at all. On entry, burst of fruit, nice glyceral mouthfeel. Very well balanced. Good acid. Nice balance between red and black fruits. Obviously sweet in the finish. Very subtle tannins that started to grow as it sat in the glass. No heat or obvious alcohol at all. Nice wine. This would be the Pinot of Port as compared to many other Ports. Maybe a bit too polite. I'd prefer a bity more bite in the finish. Maybe a bit more concentration. But still a very nice, extremely clean wine.
2 days later - It aslo picked up weight with time as well. Showing even better now. Bumping up the score from 93 to 94.
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Opened one ( from latest acquisition) at the cabin in honor of Rick B. This got tossed into the big decanter and showed nice maturing flavors and structure and was very smooth & tasty with a good balanced and slightly spicy finish showing nice structure. The original plan was to save a split for the next day but after a while Mark H & me went back and continued sipping on this until we drained the bottle. Yumm.
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i don't drink a lot of port, and i'm not even certain how to post a note on this one, except to say i found it to be delicious. i think this should be a motivating taste for more adventures with this style. i presume drink or hold until you are a skeleton.
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The cork was soaked and leaking just a little bit. On decanting, I noticed a rather light color. This darkened up a little bit after several hours of air but it was still a lighter color than I remember from my last tasting. Overall, this bottle showed more age than previous bottles. I suspect this was stored at warmer though fairly consistent temperatures. Even though this showed more age, it was an absolutely delicious bottle. Full body on the palate with good sweetness. Lush, well integrated tannins. Very soft, and silky. Sweet red fruit with leather, anise, and cinnamon. Nearly perfect balance and the alcohol is just barely noticeable on the pleasing warm finish. Perhaps this is a glimpse at what a perfectly stored bottle will be like in 10 to 15 years.
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Decanted about 4 hours. Wonderful cherry raisin nose with, initially, a touch of alcohol. Wonderfully sweet on the palate with a very long finish. Put under gas and kept cool overnight. The second night, it developed some interesting cough syrup notes , which we found somewhat less desirable; however, this went away by the last glass, which was splendid.
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Dinner at Sinon's #3. My contribution to the evening. I didn't think our host wanted to open it up, but as soon as his wife was serving the dessert, he asked me to open the Graham's for him. I felt bad because this wine does well with a long decant, but for the 15 minutes that I had to give it air, it was delicious. Some of the heat was still there, but it didn't hold back any of the pleasantries of this excellent port.
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My best port ever. After being decanted and filtred still had some deposits. Dark red color, with aromas of blackberry, caramel and hints of flowers. Full-bodied, very well ballanced sweetness, with impressive smoothness abd superbly rounded tannins. Astonishing long, fresh and youthful. Outstanding!
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A very concentrated port that has decades to go before it all comes together. Sweet surypy deliciousness with ripe fruit, burnt vanilla, toasted oak, and outstanding structure. A real treat to finish off a night of outstanding wines. foodandwineblog.com
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one bottle cracked at Ron Romain's house 9/1/2008" Youngish lacquer-driven fruit of black cherries, anise, tobacco smoke, and violets. Had 3-4 hours previous decanting time--will do better tomorrow/
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Drank at our house for Ann A & Lisa’s birthdays, with home-made chocolate truffles and Stilton cheese. Steve gives it a 95. Andrea doesn’t know how to grade it (liked it but can’t stop thinking about that 1966 Fonseca.)
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Retail bottle, held about six months. Heavy sediment upon decanting for about 6 hours, cork removed intact and well preserved thank you Acker Merrill! Thick, deep and enveloping, with a nose redolent with deeply embedded well endowed blackberry, raspberry and raisin, a sweetly delectable, quite friendly and approachable port of exceptional class, a little heated at the end as befits its 20% level, and incredible length. Miles to go before it sleeps.
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Now and then I suppose I should upload a TN for this sublime port -- a favorite of mine and Anne's. The color is cranberry with a generous hint of amber. Limpid in the class, almost syrupy, with a lovely nose of grenadine and red currents, maple syrup, bitter orange, white chocolate. Spicy elements on the delicate finish. Very sweet; unmistakable Graham's style, with a really long, lingering finish showing waves of ripe fruit. Not really mature, but I love Grahams at this stage, when the fruit is still vivid and the whole wine is in balance. A hint of heat at the very back end.
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Decanted at cellar temperature for 3 hours and then consumed. Sweet nose of strong raisin with very subtle cherry. Not overly complex of the palate with a very pleasant long, sweet finish. Some subtle heat at first, but this disappeared fairly quickly. Excellent.
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Steven K. Dinner Party (Home): I pulled this just to have something to drink with the Vosages, but it was surprisingly good! I would say at or near maturity, it had all the components in harmony without that younger port heat that is so common. Typical Graham's feminine sweetness on the palate but with good complexity and structure. Very nice.
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was jonesing for a good bottle of Vintage Port and with some assistance, decided on this bottle. I decided to NOT decant this to allow for slower aeration so I could follow this over a 2 or 3 day period.
On extracting the cork, I noticed that the cork was in incredibly good shape. The Port had barely penetrated a half inch up the cork. The first taste reveals some funkyness that quickly blows off. The nose shows restrained scents of cinnamon, cherry, licorish, and berries. The palate shows nice sweetness with well integrated yet still firm tannins and subtle acidity. Good length on the finish with fruit and spices. Before I knew it, half the bottle was gone. Incredibly good but would it get better with more air?
The second day in the bottle reveals significant changes. An incredibly seductive nose lured me in. Everything I mentioned before but more intense and complex. Eating a piece of Santander 65% Columbian chocolate then smelling the Port and I was in heaven. The palate gained in weight and showed lush tannins. Prunes, dates, and figs on the long seamless finish. Shows spice and great complexity.
On the third day there just enough left for a few more small glasses. Showed much like the second day. I have tasted 1985 Graham's a few times before. This is by far the best showing yet, bordering on perfection for me. I realize there are many other great Ports out there with a better reputation that I have yet to taste so I must remain conservative in my score.
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Decanted for sediment only, this showed nicely immediately upon opening. Clear cranberry color. Cinnamon, sour cherry, pleasing warmth. Thinning a bit, not overly complex, but very serviceable.
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Maybe decanted too long (5 hours). The flavor was excellent, but the densness and fruit was lacking from previous experiences. Next time, two or three hour decant. From a 10th.
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Medium dark in color with lightening around the edges. Nose is a little tight. Some blackberry and a little spirit on the nose. Medium body weight, with a medium-long finish. Light spirit on the finish.
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Lighter than the 1996 Malvedos but not a lot. The nose on this was tight and not revealing much. Some cherry and light chocolate scents. The palate was rather nice, smooth, rich, and voluptuous. Well integrated tannin and nice subtle acidity. Some heat showing which leads to a warm figgy finish. A good port but it showed below expectations this time.
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Very nice, classy, delicious. Just a bit closed, but the fruit is wonderful. A wine for drinking, not sipping. This half-bottle had a very faint hint of cork taint, but the flavors of the wine were so focused they were able to dominate. Served at the proper temperature, perfect balance without overpowering alcohol/heat.
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I can see why this is such a crowd pleaser. While not overly complex, it is very enjoyable. This was perfect at about 6 hours of decanting time. A bit grapey, mild cocoa, chewey, inky black in color. Alcohol well integrated. The tannins are still strong and I would imagine this still has decades to go. Not as great as I thought it would be but far from a dissapointment.
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decanted for 9 hours. served at 55 degrees. nice nose with candied cherries, raspberries, cola, some menthol. a good amount of sweetness without being overly so. nice red fruits. good finish.
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Pulled straight from the cellar. This needed to be decanted - especially from a 375, as was the case here - because there was so much sediment that I ended up straining it through cheesecloth. But the wine itself was drinking extremely well - very smooth, and no heat. Beautiful mature black fruit and molasses.
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Purchased on release and stored in my cellar since then. Opened and decanted 2 hours before drinking. Almost no sediment. Mature pale color. Soft subtle nose of fruit and cocoa. Goes down easy. Does not have the big sweetness and alcohol I find in some Graham Ports which I view as a plus. Nice soft balanced flavors of blackberry, nuts and cocoa. Very ready to drink now, and I probably would not wait much longer, since it may be at its peak. Very enjoyable.
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Decanted half the bottle for 2 hours. Surprisingly very nutty smell from the bottle after opening. I had this in 2/05 and thought it was the best port I had ever had. Wasn't quite as good as I remember it, but still really, really good. Perhaps it was the time the 2/05 glass had to breath. Nicely balanced between the fruit and some nutty/caramel flavors, really nice long finish. Definitely has more time but also drinking wonderfully right now.
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Outstanding, nose lacking the remainder perfect. 18Showing age, pale ruby; again nose restrained, coffeed, but all bit too elegant; lovely sweetness, real oomph; fully mature, graceful yet intense finish. 17+ Drink next 5+ years.
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1985 Graham’s (Half bottle) Very sweet and nice, perfectly mature (must be the size of the bottle) Spicy, rich and flamboyant with good fruit and backbone. Huge aftertaste. 93p.
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Paul's 50th (?? steak house in the catskills): From 375ml. Didn't have a chance to decant this. Poured straight from the bottle, only slightly below room temperature. Initially quite hot. Over the hour we drank this, it smoothed out quite a bit. Could still use a few more years in the bottle. Nice texture, good subtleties, but it could do so much more with a bit more and proper decanting. I scored this 90, but think it can do quite a bit better.
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Surprisingly weak in in color, tons of fine sediment. Quite tired and weak in flavor on the palate. No idea how long this had been open, but I suspect a bad bottle.
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Dark ruby / garnet red. Even though this bottle was standing up about 2 months before I opened it some very fine sediment made it's way into the decanter. On the nose there is a little heat but not much. There are also hints of red fruit, cinnamon, clove, and prune. On the palate there is more spice with a smooth round mouth feel. There is still a lot of tannin and a good level of acidity. The finish is long. Overall, very good stuff. 50 + 5 + 12 + 16 + 9
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Decanted about 3 hours before served. Had a nice medium to dark ruby coloring, no bricking around the edges and WOW!. Lots of red fruit but no dried ones.A hint of chocolate, coffee, tobacco and leather added to the complexity. Very very smooth. This one has another 10-20 years left if properly stored.
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Saturated black/red with no sign of age. Needed some air, then fantastic. Nose of crème-de-cassis, roses, citrus. Extremely young; rich and quite sweet, very long, framboise liqueur or crème de cassis; not at all hot. 96+ with a long positive evolution ahead.
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not much port experience, but as far as mine goes this is some pretty damn good stuff. DECANT - some serious sediment. Heat is almost gone, give it a bit of time in the glass or decanter and fruits really emerge.
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Decanted about two hours before drinking. A surprisingly pale ruby colour going into the decanter. Delicious to drink, with intense sweet fruit more than matched by vibrant acidity. The finish was long, but not tannic. All this is from memory, as I did not take notes. All I can say is that the bottle was polished up in very quick time. exc-
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Dark, dark ruby. Perfumed nose. Rich, concentrated and very fruity. The spirit is almost fully integrated. Still a few years from maturity. Little bit of a bite on the finish. Nice Port but not as good as others from the vintage.
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From 750mL. Light-medium garnet colour to rose rim. Aromas of acetate, cinnamon, cardamom, candied fruit. Full-bodied, sweet, with replays from nose. Quite present VA on the palate with candied fruit. Moderate finish, 30s.
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Much better showing than the last time I had it. Just starting to show some secondary dried fruit flavors from half bottle. Still rich and powerful. Will age well.
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2004/2005 New Years: Cork looked ugly with mold on the top. The wine, on the other hand, looked as youthful as a 2000 vintage port. No bricking or browning on the edges, only deep garnet with a touch of clear on the edges. The fruit has settled a bit but the structure was still there with the acid leading to a good level of tannin. I can't believe how young this is showing, especially for a .375. A very nice wine but needing much more than the 2 hrs of air it had. Will try again sooner than later.
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Yowza! Terrific port. Had it a few nights ago at "Chez Kelli." A great time was had by all. This baby will go on for years. Won't touch my other bottles for quite awhile. No notes, and it was the last in a long line of bottles for the evening! Rich, concentrated, didn't notice much (if any) color fading at the edges; then again, my storage conditions are ideal -- the bottle was in beautiful shape.
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Again tasted at the home of Amy Weinberg, this time at a Superbowl wine and food extravaganza. Bottle brought from the personal cellar of Ann Humphreville. Similar impression to 11/3/02.
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Tasted at the home of Amy Weinberg. Bottle brought from the personal cellar of Mike Christensen. Bright disc. Medium ruby with red rim. Clean nose, showing intense plum, prune, spice and red cherry. Full-bodied on the palate, quite sweet, with ample supple tannins and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish showing a nice closing note of black pepper. This port appears to be just entering its drinking window.
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Good..., but great? Very powerful yet silky tannins. The predominant flavor component is licorice. Where is the sweetness that is supposedly the trademark of Graham? I'll let it age more and see if it gets better. It could be that I had palate fatigue... i had the whole half bottle in a single sitting.
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4/8/2024 - Michael T. Zoppo Likes this wine:
A wonderful way to end Easter dinner. Fully resolved tannins. Figs, dates, raisins, and warm spice all intertwined with prominent sweetness. A pleasure, and cheap as chips at auction.
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1/1/2024 - jjct Likes this wine:
Drinking well. Vibrant, intensely sweet fruit framed with tertiary flavors; tannins fully resolved.
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12/29/2023 - Jokermac Likes this wine: 93 Points
Acquired on auction 2020. No formal tasting notes, but very enjoyable port. Ranked #2 in wide tasting. Wasn't expecting much since first of two bottles was likely stored improperly. This one was a delight.
This bottle had some life left - revising my drink window higher.
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12/29/2023 - Araldinho Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tawny.
Aromas of raisin, fig, strawberry preserve, apricot kernel, juniper berry and cinnamon.
Delicately sweet.
Mellowed tannins. Sweet cherry acids and peach pit bitterness.
Palate of cherry, aniseed, cinnamon, milk chocolate, wet wood, candied orange and sandalwood.
A mature and vital port at its peak with vital red fruit and lovely chocolate and spicy aromas. Drink within 10 years. Tasted 2023. Tasted alongside Fonseca 2000. The matched wine has the potential to grander over time, however, today, the present wine an extra-ordinary charm.
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12/29/2023 - Old Wine Maven Likes this wine: 95 Points
Holding up very well, faded dark fruits, at peak, or slightly past peak.
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12/24/2023 - RobertSchuyt Likes this wine: 87 Points
Ripe, but still drinking very well. Overly sweet compared to Taylor’s Fladgate - less my taste for the Graham
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12/24/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 94 Points
5th of 12, pnp, soaked cork, perfect level, attractive, if slightly spirity, better on second day, limited upside, 20+ years. F+ (18).
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12/16/2023 - spendergast Likes this wine: 97 Points
An excellent wine - notes of concentrated dark fruit, with great depth and balance. Tannins are soft and well integrated. My last bottle, but this wine continues to drink very well.
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12/9/2023 - fdub Likes this wine: 95 Points
Steve’s 70th. Throwing a lot of sediment but drinking very nicely. Great fig and dark fruits.
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12/8/2023 - Jamieson12o Likes this wine: 91 Points
NLWTS - Fortified at M&L Warren Street (Must & Lees Warren Street): 24hr double decant. Pretty whiffy when first opened, but better after 24 hrs. Quite sweet, but lacking some fruit. More developed than expected; quite transparent and a little bit spirity. Not the best bottle, perhaps.
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12/8/2023 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fortified Evening with the TWS North London Group (Must & Lees, Warren Street): Huge contrast with the Croft and Taylors, this has a real depth of dark fruit, and herbal quality I cannot place, almost green, that sets it apart from the others. Quite rich, alcohol-infused fruit cake, very nice indeed, I appreciate the extra body that this has.
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11/14/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 96 Points
One of my very favorite wines! Black plums, spice cake, milk chocolate, figs, and roses, with a flash of orange peel just before the exceptionally long aftertaste. This seemed quite muffled when the bottle was initially opened, and only gradually came awake in the glass over the next hour and a half--either plan to spend a long time with this wine or give it a decant. [Tasted over an hour and a half from the Jancis Robinson glass. I gave this bottle 2 weeks upright for the sediment to settle out.] Like the previous bottles I've tasted--see my notes of 9/24/20 and 3/21/23--this one had a cork in dismal shape and required the Durand opener. This is a treasure. (I don't think there's any hurry with this wine, but the corks are worrisome.)
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10/4/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
3rd and 4th (on 6/10) of 12, decanted 15 minutes, soaked corks but perfect levels, attractive lighter style as noted in September, plateau, 20+ years. F+ (18).
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9/5/2023 - JulianSkeels wrote: 95 Points
I’m liking this Grahams vintage more and more. Whilst previously underwhelming, this has gained some real sophistication in the last 5-6yrs and is my favourite 85 port now. But it needs more time. Stood 2 days, decanted back into bottle and it still took a few days to open up. Not deep, but rich with plums, sweet cherry and liquorice. In the mouth the tannin structure really shows - very ripe but firm. This will be stunning in a decade, show much more complexity and it’s cheap - little more than current release prices…. a great value to drink now or cellar. Not as deep as 77 but that’s not showing as well these days and I wonder if this might be more in the mould of the 70, a port I adore (together with 70 Taylor’s). 94pts on opening, 96pts after 3 days and potential for even more… buy more cases
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8/18/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
2nd of 12, double decanted, fully stained cork, perfect level, attractive, nuanced light vintage Port, plateau, 20+ years. F+ (18).
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8/13/2023 - ricard Likes this wine: 96 Points
A completely different wine to the Fonseca of the same vintage. Very aggressive and herby. Super assertive. Rich and opulent, peppery and spicy. Charismatic and explosive. Spectacular.
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8/13/2023 - liber Likes this wine: 93 Points
1st of 12, decanted 30 minutes, half stained cork but perfect level, nice balance, quite light, fine complexity, moreish (ie bottle unexpectedly finished in one hit), plateau, 20+ years. F+ (18).
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8/12/2023 - VinnieVeritas wrote: 93 Points
Still going strong!
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7/24/2023 - Daltond333 wrote:
Brillant, pale medium tawny-brick. Dried strawberries, grape, dried oranges, dried black cherry, dried black plum, dried flowers, pepper, anise, vanilla, toast, old wood. Medium sweet, full body, medium acidity, medium minus, soft tannins, high alcohol. Fully integrated but a little heat on the finish, drink now.
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7/8/2023 - Vascular46 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Black cherry on the nose end palate with soft and sweet tannins on the finnish. I suspect it is at or near the end of it's drinking interval - at least for the 1/2 bottles.
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6/24/2023 - bowesmana Likes this wine: 94 Points
An excellent bottle, finally balanced and having been a little underwhelmed by some of the bottles I've drunk recently, it exceeded my expectations.
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6/18/2023 - swade wrote: 92 Points
Always a treat. About the seventh I've had. Bought at an estate sale for $1. Worst of the lot in that it really looked deteriorated from head to toe from the label, to foil to cork due to the storage. Some sips had a musty hint (not found in any other bottles), but fewer as the night went on. Gobs of sediment. Yet my prior descriptors apply and this was excellent in flavor and merit. 92
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6/3/2023 - mryev Likes this wine: 94 Points
So much better on the second and the third day.
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5/29/2023 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 93 Points
First of 6 bottles.
Excellent cork and shape.
Drinking extremely well right now with impeccable balance.
Plenty of fruit but also pleasant tertiary aromas developing.
This can hold much longer, 15 years+
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5/3/2023 - SaltWine wrote:
Spring Livery Lord Robertson Plum, raisin on the nose – if blind I might have expected a tawny rather than a vintage. Reasonably good level of spirit in the mouth. Fruit was there too cherries, fig, plum, a little chocolate and spice which came together with a finish that was surprisingly good. Perhaps a good bottle!
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3/21/2023 - SpenceP wrote: 96 Points
Gorgeous, and much as it was in my note of 9/24/20: Ripe black plums, flowers, figs, milk chocolate, oranges, coming together in a wonderfully harmonious way, and followed by an amazingly beautiful and long aftertaste. The cork was falling apart--The Durand was essential to open it safely. Wow. Were it not for the state of the corks, there would be no hurry here--but the corks are a concern.
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3/9/2023 - SaltWine wrote:
J.N. This was awful, thin and very light in colour. No weight of fruit, almost tawny like without concentration - possibly from poor storage before our purchase. Needs drinking asap. Could use less time in decanter.
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3/5/2023 - Radboy wrote: 95 Points
Excellent port. Cherries and dark plum fruit with hints of spice. I could drink this all night! Goes perfect with chocolate.
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1/24/2023 - Ruby99 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Everything a vintage port should be and at peak drinking now
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12/27/2022 - Doc Malvern Likes this wine: 92 Points
A 37-year old vintage port which may now be starting to decline. The cork was good with lots of deposit at the bottom of the bottle - so tannins have mostly dropped out. It’s a light ruby, almost pink, colour. Aromas of violet, raspberry and vanilla. On the palate it’s sweet raspberry, cherry and rose hip, and it’s relatively fresh and syrupy with little tannin. Almost a raspberry liqueur but much more complex and vibrant than that!
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12/26/2022 - Highlander wrote:
Had this side by side with the 85 Fonseca, Fonseca was much younger, in color and taste. This was much lighter in color and on the palate. . This Graham's is quite complex. I am a bit concerned about the color turning to a beautiful amber....how long will this last....perhaps 5 years, I am not sure, but it is excellent right now. Sweetness has evolved into many different layers of flavor. A bit of tobbacco, mildly sweet cherry and spices. I only decanted this for an hour or so and that was enough. T
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12/26/2022 - Mbad77 wrote:
Don’t drink huge amounts of port but this was lovely. Relatively light on it’s feet with perfumed fruit nose. Good depth on palate and well balanced. Quite sweet still and drinking rather easily
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12/20/2022 - GrapeScott wrote: 90 Points
This is in a good place now and drank well over several days after decanting off the sediment. A rich, unctuous port with loads of chocolate, plum, fruitcake and raisin flavors. Quite sweet and a bit unbalanced/hot on the finish. Surprisingly, I preferred a '75 Warre that I've had several bottles of recently, as it was the more harmonious and subtle wine.
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12/10/2022 - magyarsvensk Likes this wine:
Candied plums, honey-glazed beef, morello cherries notes. Light, fresh, with a lingering, endless finish.
Development is positive, but further holding is planned.
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10/30/2022 - chbeaumont wrote: 94 Points
Retains good colour; 'sweet' nose, later figgy; rich, depth & power remains, figs, rounded; splendid finish. At peak, no signs of any decline.
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8/13/2022 - Vascular46 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Retains a dark ruby color with black-cherry fruit on the nose and palate. Long finish. Sweeter style then most vintage ports.
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7/26/2022 - crewald wrote:
Double decanted and allowed to breathe for about an hour. Cork was saturated but solid. Delightful. Some bottle variability but the difference is between great and excellent.
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7/20/2022 - crewald wrote:
Double decanted for Dragon dinner. Nine guests. "What were you doing in 1985?" Cork fully saturated. Lovely. Improved over course of evening. Had with three single origin bitter chocolates, pound cake and fruit, nuts.
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7/9/2022 - BVal wrote: 94 Points
From 375ml. Used a Durand to get the cork out and a small part still broke off. Heavy sediment, of course.
Color/App: light ruby core -> diffuse garnet rim; high viscosity. Delicious bouquet on PnP of plums, spice cake, raisins and bittersweet chocolate. Palate is quite smooth with tannins gone and a good acidic snap; still moderately sweet and long. Red berries, cherries and raisins here. Drinking well now and into the future for quite a long time. Grahams has always been my favourite Port and this shows why.
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7/3/2022 - M.Batard wrote: 92 Points
Delicious plum and cassis. Paired with cheese board, but kept going all night.
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7/2/2022 - Eric_Lavoie Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding. Such balance and precision. Drinking beautiful now but has many years ahead. A truly excellent wine that ranks well within my top 10 of all time.
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6/24/2022 - crewald wrote:
Decanted on evening prior to Spring Picnic after standing 24 hours. Pale red, almost pink. Heavy almost tarry sediment only at very base of bottle. Cork two-thirds saturated, sightly unevenly, solid above. Extreme burst of flavor after 10 seconds of quiescence. Lingering aftertaste. Sweet, harmonious.
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6/4/2022 - theportguy wrote: 94 Points
A Fond Farewell (Sammamish, Washington): Decanted six hours. Semi-transparent, amber-red in color. There are cherry candies and sweet red fruits on the nose. On the palate, there are some really wonderful chocolate and red fruit notes. Rich, but also very smooth flavor profile. The rich flavor profile carries through to the long, smooth finish.
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5/13/2022 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Light red in color. Ripe plum, spice, with rich finish
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3/25/2022 - FiggySmalls wrote: 86 Points
never seen a cork this soaked through (saturated to the moldy tip) but the wine seems intact. my last bottle (same retailer) was nowhere near this saturated.
color: not much bricking. fairly translucent.
nose/taste: shows significant alcohol on pnp (dominates nose almost unpleasantly) but no flaws. tannins are there. lacking
very little acid
it's less youthful than my Christmas bottle and is showing definite oxidation and rough edges.
day two: no positive development. finishing the bottle, the last pour has an inch+ of thick, sludgy sediment. The previous bottle only had a bit. I'm just gonna say "bottle variation" since the wine didn't present overtly flawed. Lacks the vibrance of the previous bottle
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3/10/2022 - Vascular46 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Possibly slightly past peak but retains much of it's black cherry fruit. Still full-bodied on the mid palate with sweet length on the finish.
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2/25/2022 - SaltWine wrote:
November Livery dinner 2021 (courtesy of Nick)
1985 Graham – Fabulous. Wonderfully integrated fruit and spirit. Deep, rich palate – drinking very well and no reason that it will not do so for many years to come (if we had enough!).
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1/16/2022 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 96 Points
Garnet, nose is a midweight aged port. All the caramel, allspice, five spice, sweetness. Taste was smooth, rich, medium sweet. Great!
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1/7/2022 - Old Wine Maven Likes this wine: 94 Points
I bought a case of Grahams 85 in late 80’s. This was my 6th bottle, starting in the past 15 years. Bottle consistency has been impressive, this bottle was at perfect peak. It was open for about 3 weeks in the fridge (with vacuvan) and the last glass still drinking beautifully. Soft integrated fruits and tannins. Can’t think it would get much better but it should also hold well for another 5 years. Not quite as impressive as the ‘63 Croft I has 20 years ago, but close. I don’t normally rate wines on a scale but giving this a 94.
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12/28/2021 - BrunelloBob wrote: 92 Points
Delicious. 91-92
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12/26/2021 - LuckyLars wrote: 94 Points
Much darker than the 1977 we had a year ago. Obviously sweet but still with plenty of acid to balance out the sweetness. Delicious. Vintage Port is becoming a very anticipated Boxing Day tradition at our place.
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12/21/2021 - franm Likes this wine: 92 Points
cheers - delicious port, long finish....lacking the complexity of a 95+ but still an incredible wine from a very nice vintage
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12/17/2021 - FiggySmalls Likes this wine:
Pristine bottle condition! Cork was fully molded(fuzzy!) but extracted easily via ah-so style opener.
Upon opening w/o decant... Alcohol, unctuous fruit, and YOUTH. Drinks similarly. It's delicious, thick (promising. pleasantly rounded right now, but only barely "layered." Excited to see how this opens up for Christmas!
Night two: already much better. Youthful tannin has backed off, the fruit has taken on more toffee/caramel, etc... It is opening beautifully. Going to buy another bottle or two
Really interested to see how a week open improves this for Xmas/Xmas eve
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12/17/2021 - Vascular46 Likes this wine: 94 Points
The fruit remains quite prominent in spite of the 36 year age especially since this was a 375ml bottle which should age faster than a 750ml. Shared with a good friend of even longer duration
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12/5/2021 - CHBD Likes this wine: 95 Points
Décanté à la dernière minute. Bouchon en bel état. Couleur moyenne, un peu orangée sur le pourtour. Très beau nez de cerises noires, figues, chocolat. Ample et soyeux, alcool en finale, mais beaucoup mieux intégré le lendemain. Superbe avec des fromages persillés.
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11/2/2021 - Paul852 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Soft cork, dealt with easily with a pseudo-Durand. Upright for a week then decanted removing a lot of quite dense sediment.
The colour is very clear and less dense than I expected.
It's hard to know what to say about this wine: on the nose and the palate for me it is the epitome of great port. Very easy drinking on its own, but pairs very nicely with roquefort.
Drank over about a week and no significant change.
The problem I have with this is that it is "too smooth/perfect" as port. I could drink litres of this at ~US$110 per bottle, but my bank manager might object.
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10/14/2021 - Yagil wrote: 94 Points
Coravin tasting
pale ruby
pronounced aromas of chocolate, berry and boysenberry, sweet cherry and rich vanilla palate, with a cedar-and-black-pepper character underlying
rich, sweet, and dense, with an explosion of pepper on the long finish.
Lovely balance
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9/18/2021 - oldwines wrote: 94 Points
Shane's 6th Annual Game Dinner - Game & Truffle (Chateau Lea, New Jersey): The finishing touch to the 6th Annual Game Dinner. I can’t say my notes on this were thorough, but it was very consistent with previous bottles. Controlled alcohol, rich chocolate and red and black fruit. Long and unctuous. Still a bright dense, dark garnet color. Wonderful with a variety of blue cheeses. Nowhere close to fully mature.
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9/1/2021 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Lyn’s Book Group dinner. Sweet plum and strawberry girded by deep-seated earthy grip and mocha notes. Wonderful stuff.
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8/13/2021 - noiregonian Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted first thing in the morning, and then again during dinner - and tasted fresh and juicy despite its age. Lots of deep red fruits, some spice and chocolate in a mid-weight mouth. Terrific structure and balance too.
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6/25/2021 - paulf Likes this wine: 94 Points
This spent about 7 hours in the decanter prior to to it being decanted back in to the bottle where it sat for around 3 hours.
A touch of spirit on the nose that dissipated in the glass after a little while. A lovely, sweet blueberry jam taste along with some sweet spice.
Lovely balance and reminiscent of other showings of this port.
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12/26/2020 - englishman's claret wrote: 89 Points
The 85 Graham takes a few hours of air to really show its best, candied, grapey, and peppery, spirity. Not one of the top successes from 85 port, but good.
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12/25/2020 - fdub Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark red cherries
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9/24/2020 - SpenceP wrote: 96 Points
Just lovely. The cork, however, was frightening to look at, and it took almost half an hour to remove it safe and intact, using a prong opener (plus patience and experience). Once past the cork, though, the wine was beautiful: flowers, ripe black plums, dried figs, rich milk chocolate, and a moment of orange peel just as it moves into a wonderfully long aftertaste. The cork worries me, but if it can survive the corks, this should continue to be a very special wine for decades.
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9/17/2020 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted over three nights. Brick with amber edges, transparent. Black raspberry and plum aromas, complex, elegant, moderately pronounced. Concentrated, jammy, sweet, very round and elegant. Good acidity, no tannin. Extremely long, sweet, hot aftertaste, lasted more than a minute. Outstanding, but in a round and elegant style rather than a powerful wine. Drink soon.
Ric
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8/30/2020 - Stevenmlouie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep garnet with orange hues at the rim. Fig jam, toasted nuts, dark chocolate candied orange peel, rhubarb, vanilla, baking spice, long and undulating finish. Full body. Incredible, with years ahead.
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6/18/2020 - TheYenius wrote: 93 Points
Lighter in Color now, red-orange hues on the rim. Tea leaves, a bit of tar, raisins and nuts in the nose. Same on the palate. Medium long complex finish. Good balance. Can still go for at least a decade.
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4/24/2020 - portman63 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Didn't decant, but took 5 days to watch this evolve. Given what I have experienced in the vintage I wasn't surprised it was more on the soft and elegant side. It did gain some body after a few days, but still remained more on the feminine side of vintage port and struggled to hang with some robust Stilton from Neal's Yard. It was solid with dates and creamy medium-dark chocolates (can't handle high cocao bitter styles). Quite enjoyable though with a nice long finish. Has plenty of time left to enjoy, but will probably be the same throughout.
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3/1/2020 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Lovely, complex, a point, balanced.
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2/23/2020 - ArtF Likes this wine: 94 Points
Becomes more delicately sweet and integrated after a few days in decanter.
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2/21/2020 - theportguy wrote: 95 Points
1985 Vintage Ports - Sammamish Port Club (Sammamish, Washington): Some milk chocolate and red fruit on the nose. Well-integrated and elegant. Strawberry and red fruit on the palate. Good acidity and balance on the finish.
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1/7/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote:
2017 White Burgundy Dinner (Brasserie Margeaux - Chicago IL): From 375 ml bottle, popped and poured. Rich and jammy, just slightly simpler than I'd prefer, ending with a warm-ish finish as well. Good, but slightly disappointing vs expectations.
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1/7/2020 - KenK Likes this wine: 92 Points
Friendly upfront ripe cherry berry flavors, in soft creamy style. Nice drinker, yet not too serious.
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1/3/2020 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 98 Points
"Dead Distilleries" Thomas & Fry - Willett & SMWS Pop Up (Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Washington DC): 1985 Graham’s 98 just fantastic hit the spot tonight
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12/26/2019 - d'Artagnan wrote:
Bue sur trois jours à Stoneham. Une bouteille décevante, pas au niveau des précédentes.
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12/26/2019 - angelcyn Likes this wine: 92 Points
Second bottle of this, decanted for twelve hours and drunk over two days, very smooth, plenty of fruit coming through on the nose and in the mouth, alcohol well integrated, very nice bottle if not a lot going on in the mouth a fairly short finish.
The earlier bottle drunk around eight years back had better colour and was a bit hotter and fresher, matter of taste but preferred the earlier one, felt this one had no more to give.
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12/1/2019 - Radboy wrote: 92 Points
Great bottle. Better at day 2.
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11/28/2019 - Wineson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice
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11/28/2019 - xwine wrote:
This was the second of two bottles I picked up through friends in 2015. First one a few years ago was, I believe, heat damaged (almost tawny color, very sporty). This one was much better, with good color and, while a bit hot, nowhere near like the bottle a few years ago. Only had a small glass, but enjoyed it. Now I'm curious to open one of the bottles I purchased on release to compare.
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11/12/2019 - 309VEB Likes this wine: 94 Points
The 85 Graham's is my go to Port at this time. This bottle did not disappoint other than I was only able to decant it for 3-4 hours so did not show as well as my last bottle which I was able to decant for 12 hours. No heat, smooth, not too sweet, long finish. Small amount not consumed on day one. Drank on day two and it had improved, more fruit, so do not be shy about a long decant.
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11/9/2019 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
45th Birthday Celebration (Chez Nanda): Half bottle. Decanted for ~8 hours. Nice aged plum and fig fruit. Good toffee sweetness. A smidge of heat on the finish.
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11/9/2019 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
"You only turn 45 once" (Chicago, IL): From half-bottle. Quite delicate and showing some nice red fruit flavours; less swarthy than I remember this being. Nevertheless, there are some dried figs and dates here, with a surprising amount of freshness. The spirit here doesn't kick too hard either. Not quite the most complex, but in the grand scheme of port, this is mostly a question of it being too young.
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10/5/2019 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ah yes, another great Graham 85 port! Lots of kirsch, sweet figs, candied fruit, maraschino cherries, with acidity to balance it out. It’s alcohol is well integrated and not not on the palate. Just great!
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10/1/2019 - Beric wrote: 90 Points
Fully mature. Medium bodied. Solid fruit on the front end with tobacco notes. Light on the back end.
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8/11/2019 - Brad T Likes this wine: 96 Points
The glory of mature vintage port is written all over this smashing Graham’s that explodes in the mouth like fireworks with beautiful tension in the still bright acid-fruit balance, featuring generous flavors of dried fig, dried plum, dried dates, chestnut, and impressions of maraschino cherry and birch root, gracefully fading with a persistently sanguine, almost sappy finish. This was all dark cassis jam on release 30 years ago and it has transformed into something entirely different—alchemy in a bottle.
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7/5/2019 - Raizes Likes this wine: 93 Points
黑莓、李子、樱桃利口酒，成熟但不过甜的果味，搭配丁香、雪茄盒、巧克力的桶味，以及焦糖、皮革的陈年气息。入口无论酒体结构还是香气的构架都非常均衡，集中度和复杂度都得到了很好的呈现，单宁丝滑柔软，酸度优雅而不突兀。刚刚进入最好的年华，还有很久的陈年时光可以度过。
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6/1/2019 - JERB wrote: 94 Points
Anniversary Dinner with Bob & Kathy (34 years for both of us) (The Winery - San Diego (UTC)): Oh my! Just wow! Bob bought a case of this wine back in 1989. There is not much else to say except that it is fantastic!!
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4/27/2019 - ChateauDutremble Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply outstanding! One of the best vintage port I have ever tasted! Smooth and unctuous...not too sweet...complex aromas of spices, ripe fruit and much more... What a treat! Drink now! 95+
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3/24/2019 - Neecies Likes this wine: 95 Points
Blair's bottle. Accumulation of all the comments around me: figs, walnut, allspice, antique shop, excellent balance. Someone commented that Grahams rarely show any heat--I had not pondered that before but this bottle certainly proved the point.
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3/15/2019 - David J Cooper wrote: 94 Points
Medium red with clear edges. The nose starts out a bit muted but then opens up, black cherry, figs, leather, antique shop and caramel. Delicious demerara sugar and dried cherry flavours and a perfectly balanced finish.
I have never found Grahams to be any sweeter then other houses. To me they are usually perfectly balanced and rarely ever show overt heat.
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2/21/2019 - efeldhake@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Garnet in color with ruby edges. Nose of cherries,plums, and hints of mocha and tobacco. Tastes of maraschino cherries, prunes, leather, autumnal spices, and dark chocolate. Lovely mouthfeel and well structured. In a good place to drink, but has at least another 10 years ahead.
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2/17/2019 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Chateauneuf and Hermitage: Sweet, fruity, and yet not cloying. There is a caramel and berry quality to it.
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2/17/2019 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Older CDP's and Northern Rhones (P.S. Steak, Mpls): Small pour. Intense, quite good, dried dark berries, raisin, plum, caramel, brown sugar, medium bodied, fig, well balanced and vibrant on the finish. 92+pts.
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2/13/2019 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
A bottle brought by a friend to a dinner; this was excellent; fully mature with a garnet red hue, the nose is beguiling with sweet plummy fruits, raisin tart, lots of spices, and a hint of caramel and dried violet. The palate is delicious; rich yet elegant for Port, it just floats across your tongue, but leaves a long and lingering finish... Excellent
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1/5/2019 - rnellans wrote: 94 Points
Youthful. Rich, sweet... love it.
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12/27/2018 - d'Artagnan wrote:
D’une jeunesse époustouflante, encore beaucoup de poigne. Profond, droit et fruité. La longueur aromatique est exceptionnelle.
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12/24/2018 - Chimer Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bright and lively, colour starting to pale but no browning. Beautifully sweet elegant and fine, tannins are now silky, decanted on Christmas eve for Christmas day lunch - not much left for Christmas day... it really was delicious!
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12/22/2018 - ArtF Likes this wine: 96 Points
Like my experience with Warre '85, this became delicately sweet after 30+ days in an open decanter. Originally carefully decanted, but after a month, there was a layer of fine sediment that coated the bottom of decanter, leaving a light colored, sweet cherry drink.
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12/15/2018 - swade wrote: 92 Points
Cork fell apart to chunks, but was surgically removed. It was stunning that there was no sediment. Very good again. Came in third of six in the tasting group. 92
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11/22/2018 - ArtF Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still youthful, deep ruby color. More kirsch than plum on palate. Full bodied, smooth with some alcohol going down that adds complexity without adding heat. So nice on a cold night.
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11/17/2018 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 93 Points
A lovely port with notes of Kirsch, figs, and plums. The cork was perfect as if the wine was only ten years old. It had a nice balance of fruit and acidity along with a medium finish. It was delicious.
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11/7/2018 - mhudes Likes this wine: 96 Points
At the Wolf in Oakland with Walter, Michael and Charles. Decanted for 4 hours. The 1985 Graham VP is one of my favorite ports and this bottle was no exception. Cloves, cinnamon, allspice on the nose. In the mouth I get burnt caramel, raisins, light molasses, some fruit cake nuances and a tad of licorice. Lengthy finish. For some reason I enjoy the Graham profile even more than Fonseca, Taylor and Dow (which I also love). Sadly, my last bottle, but happy it was superb.
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9/29/2018 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Rich and lovely nose - sunny vine blackberries. Joyous and uplighting like a chorale. Light, fruity and fun vibes. Pure and feminine with a My Little Pony innocence. Roses and other florals appear. Light finish with great persistence. Really fascinating for the contrast to both Malvedos and most 30yr old VP. Really neat.
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7/2/2018 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine:
Drank over several nights.
initially, the wine comes off light, lots of bright strawberry, herbs, and a little boozy with cranberry juice-like tannins. The second night, the wine filled out noticeably, gaining weight and intensity. More strawberry and rhubarb pie, with a very full mouth-feel, I also get some sort of green herbal funk where the boozyness was the night before, I like it. There is a meatiness to the wine. Very good and very easy to drink.
I found the wine to stay in this happy place for another day or so then it declined in the days following that. Such good juice.
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6/30/2018 - Redteeth wrote:
This bottle was in very good shape, and as might be expected, there was considerable sediment. The wine is mature and very enjoyable. My guess is it will last longer, but I am not sure it will further improve. Decant and give ity some time to breathe.
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6/24/2018 - swade wrote: 94 Points
July 2015 notes apply as to the flavor profile. Very composed tonight though. Very, very ethereal. This was wine #2 of 11 in the tasting. 94
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5/4/2018 - canan wrote: 95 Points
Vintage Port 1985 Horizontal: Sweet and heavy flavors of dark licorice. Dark juicy plum flavors and a fair balance.
A solid and impressive wine.
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4/7/2018 - tomoem wrote: 90 Points
A remarkably thin but supercharged mouthfeel. Pure and sweet. Long long lingering finish.
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3/28/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful full-bodied vintage port in mid-age showing a voluminous thick texture and great flavors of black grapes, sweet prunes and smoky minerals. This is a deep wine that just envelopes the palate with sleek richness and is amazing with all types of cheeses. A bit more complexity will develop in the coming years but I like it right now!
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2/17/2018 - 309VEB wrote: 95 Points
Purchased a case in the 1990's and has been sitting in my cellar ever since. First bottle form the case. Foil and cork in perfect condition. Cork pulled easily with only a slight stain on the bottom millimeter or so of the cork. Decanted for 10-12 hours before consuming. Beautiful mature port. Zero alcohol. Not overly sweet. In a good spot. Did not consume the whole bottle on day one. Finished the last glass on night two so the wine had been out of the bottle for 30 plus hours. Tasted even better! The wine had taken on weight and was noticeably darker. Fantastic, heavy mouthfeel and bursting with fruit. Decant this wine for 24 hours or more and you will be rewarded. The suggested drinking window to 2019 is way off. I expect that this wine will last through 2030 given how it improved with extended exposure to air.
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2/16/2018 - d'Artagnan wrote:
Droit et long, ferrugineux, concentré, il paraît encore très jeune. Superbe!
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1/27/2018 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Clear light red with brown edges. Great spirity nose, brown sugar, baked plums, kirsch, earth, dried cherry and herbs. Beautiful rich plummy flavours and a medium tannic finish.
Always a pleasure to drink this vintage of Graham's
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1/13/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Graham/Barton tasting-cum-lunch (Restaurant Bak, Amsterdam, NL): Warm and flowing, gingerbread, spicy and deep, elegant and intense, complex flavours, excellent length. An excellent bottle.
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1/11/2018 - schoonbeke wrote: 90 Points
From a half bottle. Transparent ruby color. Fig, caramel, dark berry. A bit acidic, which makes it difficult to savor. Enjoyable but not spectacular.
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1/8/2018 - AJCowen wrote: 96 Points
Delicious. Butter, plum, raisins. Perfectly balanced acidity and sugar. Great stuff just starting to come into its own. Will keep getting better for decades.
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1/1/2018 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 93 Points
A very delicious port with notes of kirsch, figs, plums and other sweet dark fruits. It seems ready to live on for many more years.
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12/28/2017 - d'Artagnan wrote:
Un grand porto, rien de moins.
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12/20/2017 - bacchus of knockholt Likes this wine: 88 Points
Ruby. Christmas cake, plums, spice and raisins. Ripe plum and spice, tons of structure, tannins, spice, pepper and sweetness. OTT and not too elegant.
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12/10/2017 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 93 Points
2017 Wine & Food Society of La Jolla Holiday Gala (The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, CA): From a well-cellared bottle, this deep garnet wine is effusive of kirsch, plums, figs, walnuts, marzipan and milk chocolate. Very sweet yet harmonious, it has a viscous mouth texture with soft residual tannins and dense mid-palate. The finish lingers effortlessly. This Port is showing beautifully at this point and should continue to provide pleasure for several more years. Drink now-2030.
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11/30/2017 - Poussin wrote: 93 Points
First taste of mature vintage port (I don't know why it took me so long). Bright damson fruit, raisins, mint and chocolate on the nose. Palate is cool, mellow and nicely integrated. A pleasure.
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11/23/2017 - canan wrote: 94 Points
Vintage ports - 83 vs 85 (P81): Elegant and balanced blackberry fruit with a nice balance.
Some nice spices are showing nicely with a touch of vanilla and black pepper. It also has the trademark black liquorice flavors.
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10/19/2017 - RayOB wrote: 92 Points
Drank at 67
Getting into its drinking window. Rich lush and long.
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9/24/2017 - FransS wrote: 84 Points
I hope only this bottle, because I smelled and tasted VA (not hefty, but recognizable); beneath the VA this port/bottle showed ripe and fragile.
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8/31/2017 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
A private tasting (at home): Tasted blind. Mature but lively appearance; sweet Graham style but not luscious or rich, cedary nose, good fruit and freshness, rounded, well integrated tannins, spicy finish, very good length.
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8/2/2017 - JulianSkeels wrote: 93 Points
My first note on a port I've already finished 2 cases of.... which says it all. I love the Grahams style and this (plus the 83) is my favorite value vintage to drink now. Not the best vintage, lacking the potential of the more structured 77, but so accessable! The 83 is a touch better and will improve for longer, but this 85 is all about immediate enjoyment. 93pts (vs 94pts for the 83 and 96pts for the 77)
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7/24/2017 - David J Cooper wrote: 95 Points
Just a great middle age Port. I don't know what I can add to any conversation about this wine.
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6/15/2017 - Viking in France wrote:
Drank during Todd’s Battlefield and Beer Tour.
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3/31/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points
3rd Annual Game dinner with Grand Cru Bourgogne (Chateau de le Shane aka Shane's house in New Jersey): Consistent and classic, always good, this was typical ad rich with chocolate, menthol and red and black fruit...the perfect foil for chocolate after a great meal!
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3/12/2017 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Jesus, wow. Yet another night that Port accidentally stole the show as WOTN. Residual sugar, dried fruit, plum, fig, apricot, toffee? cinnamon. Most under appreciated wine (Port) on the planet.
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2/11/2017 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep, dark reddish-garnet in color with ever-so-slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & fragrant nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & dried figs with overtones of spices & earthy/dusty notes, minerals, anise, dark cocoa, honey, coffee, molasses, cedar & a touch of sweet vanilla bean in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, complex, ripe fruit flavors of blackberries, sweet dark cherries, dried figs & raisins with exotic spices, dark cocoa, molasses, honey, minerals & a hint of vanilla. Long lingering & polished finish. Drinks quite well at present but has the grip, fruit & structure to continue with further development with additional aging. An absolutely wonderful & complex Port at 32 years of age! Cork was intact & 1/2 saturated; fill at mid-neck.
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12/31/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark ruby colored with a seductive bouquet of chocolate and dark fruit. Luscious and easy to drink with flavors of ripe black plum, prune, blackberry jam and dark chocolate covered dried cherry. Long rich finish with plenty of life left...at least through its 40th birthday.
P.S. One week later this is still going strong! All Chocolate and black fruit compote and just a little heat but oh so delicious!
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12/31/2016 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 93 Points
A fabulous port. Last evening it seemed very fresh and lively. It had nice dark fruit, candied cherries, smooth tannins, and a long finish.
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12/25/2016 - xwine wrote: flawed
Must have been heat damaged. Brown, almost like a tawny; spirity. Bought in 2015, and it will be interesting to now try one of the bottles I bought on release. Last time I had one (in 2004?) it was fantastic.
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12/21/2016 - Didman wrote: 96 Points
A fabulous vintage Port. At least as good, if not better, than when tried 4 years ago. Huge amount of sediment but decanted off easily after standing for a week before opening.
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12/20/2016 - Zinlady wrote: 94 Points
Had with Stilton cheese and walnuts. Wonderful. Great body. Long finish. Warmed you up
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12/19/2016 - Philip67 wrote: 90 Points
Big rich strawberry jam fruit. Still very young. This presents as quite simple, with little or no nuance. I don't expect this to develop into anything special.
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12/11/2016 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 92 Points
A very enjoyable port.
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11/22/2016 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Nose: B++ Palate: A-/A
My #2, Group's #3 (72 pts). Tasted blind.
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11/19/2016 - jlgnml wrote: 89 Points
Not a great showing for this btl. Cough syrup, cherry tart, decanted for 3 hrs.
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11/11/2016 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweet and rich. Strong candied cherry personality. This reminds me of the fancy cherries used as garnishes at high-end cocktail bars. The cherry fruit is rounded out by figs and prunes and lesser notes of baking spices and leather. The fruit is a bit simple and lacks the breadth and elegance of the best ports, though perhaps this will improve with more age.
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10/25/2016 - efeldhake@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Garnet in color with ruby edges. Nose of cherries and moca with hint of tobacco. Tastes of cherry prunes, leather, and dark chocolate. Lovely mouthfeel and well structured. In a good place to drink, but plenty of years of life ahead.
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10/24/2016 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a beautiful port with both richness and complexity. A core of chocolate-covered cherries with notes of violets, wood shavings, and bacon. The fruit has excellent purity and good length.
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9/25/2016 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
Threw a crazy amount of sediment. Wonderful nose of sandlewood, cherry-prune and smoky spice. Jammy sweet, roasted fruit with very mature flavors of prune, smoke, spice and alcohol with such a silky texture. The finish is woodsy and very complex with notes of raisins, figs, floral spices and Arabian nights...This isn't the greatest port I've ever tasted but it is so perfectly mature right now and when you can catch a classic wine at it's aged apogee, it's so often magical even if it's not the best vintage.
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9/5/2016 - hsacks Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bright red color. Aromas of sour cherries and red plums. Ripe, medium-bodied fruit in the mouth with very good depth and a nicely balanced finish. This was surprisingly fresh for a 30 year old half bottle but lacked the viscosity and complexity that I would have expected. Drink up!
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8/19/2016 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was better on the day we opened it, the bottle was vacuvined and refrigerated. Lost a little of its freshness after two days. Otherwise consistent tasting note.
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8/18/2016 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Consistent notes. Plum, fig, just a delicious port.
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8/16/2016 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Purple, ripe plum, fig, drinking well. Cork was getting soft but was intact. Still has miles to go. Will continue to retast over several days.
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8/16/2016 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Red currant, prune & raisin. Low tannin. Beautiful aged port.
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8/4/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
A private dinner (@ Home): Second (pristine) bottle from a case and frankly identical to my note from August 2013. A decent port wine but lacks the richness and sweetness that is to be expected from Graham's in 1985 and that I have experienced on other occasions. Dry, cedar and spearmint, transparent and remarkably youthful, crushed red berries, tannic finish, good length. I don't know what's wrong, but this is again not up to par. Just like the previous bottle, this softens considerably after a day in the decanter, with an attractive, warm and cedary nose and a palate with notes of milk chocolate and red berries, but it remains too light.
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7/31/2016 - cliffkol wrote: 95 Points
Stunning.
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7/30/2016 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted, light ruby with a touch of orange, sweet red fruit with a touch of prune, mod. tannins, long finish; best bottle yet & delicious, drink or hold
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6/18/2016 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Stellar port in total balance, an absolute crowd pleaser. I would be delighted to drink this again.
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6/13/2016 - winewitch59 wrote: flawed
This was spoiled. Cork was flapping around, smelt like compost. Down the drain.
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5/7/2016 - David J Cooper wrote: 95 Points
Dark vibrant red. Tons of red fruit, cassis, mineral and plums. Delicious ripe red fruit flavours. Tons of tannins to balance out the sweetness and the fruit.
A young version of the 77? Maybe destined to be one of the all time greats? I think so.
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4/1/2016 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 92 Points
The Port Forum Does Grahams VP in NYC (Lupulo Restaurant, NYC): My contribution. Decanted at 2 pm. Decanted clean through cheesecloth and then washed out the bottle. Th decant wa clean but the bottle was full of massive crud. Very glad I had left it upright in the bottle for 10 days. Poured back into the bottle at 7 pm. dinner at 8:30 pm. Too young. Enjoyable but still tannic with a bit of bite and astringency despite the sweetness. Pleasurable but when it compares to the 1955, the 1977 and the 1970, it is not up to the best. Needs another 10-ish years at least.
Brought some home and finished it on day two. The tannins were gone and it had lightened up a bit. Lost the bite and was smoother, but less intense. sweet red fruit.
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3/13/2016 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Second Sunday Group: 1996 Bordeaux (high end) (Marty's): Notes of cherry, currants, cassis and licorice with subtle chocolate and floral notes. Drinking very well; flavors of cherry cordial, cassis and licorice. Long finish.
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2/28/2016 - Purple Tooth wrote: 95 Points
The more I drink, the more I appreciate the value of tannins and their importance in the pleasure of a finish. Based on this comment, this wine is at peak for me. It is a fully mature ruby, with aromas of cedar, plums, and toffee. In the mouth, plums, followed by fruit cake, and then a roasted nutty finish, which is what I crave in an awesome port. The tannic structure provides the feel of youth and pushes the nutty finish on and on...This port is worth every penny for the port lover in you and the ones around you! Drink or Hold...
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2/27/2016 - KenK Likes this wine: 94 Points
From 1/2 bottle. This is really in a great place for current consumption and likely plateaus for a very long time. The primary cherry cough syrupy characters have morphed with time into a lovely sophisticated much more nuanced treat. The slightly sweeter character of Graham's style remains ever present and combined with the dark red cherry flavors, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, this becomes heavenly. Well integrated acid and tannin stucture frames the fruit charter very well. Smoothly textured with just enough bite and a long red candy fruit finish. Can you tell I liked this? Highly drinkable for a port. Makes you want to pour just one more taste again and again. I like where it is at currently because you get both good fruit flavors and the spiced nuances.
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2/20/2016 - WineMedic Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious, simply delicious. Garnet color to almost clear at the rim. Aromas dark fruits and alcohol. Medium sweetness, full bodied. Complex flavors of juicy plums, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, boysenberries, cough syrup, creamy caramel, vanilla, baking spices, espresso, coffee grinds, dark chocolate, honey and a very unique minerality. Extra long finish with the darker fruits and flavors pulling through nice and strong. Deeply enjoyed with a Davidoff Limited Edition Winston Churchill cigar. Wish this would never end. Double Decanted 1-2 hrs. Dreamy and highly recommended.
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2/19/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Good wine, good food, good company (Park Avenue Winter): Another night of side by side ports. This had a much more tawny look to it (Fonseca of same vintage was dark cherry color). Could possibly have used a decant, the alcohol was still relatively prevalent and it didn't have time to really blow off. After that it was toffee on the tongue which went quite well with the sticky toffee pudding that they served.
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2/10/2016 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
Concentrated wine with coffee, chocolate, dark fruit - and a firm bit of alcohol. This is still a very, very young vintageport, and it will benefit from further cellaring - say ten years, at least.
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12/31/2015 - Per-Harald Likes this wine: 94 Points
1985 vintage port will never be wrong to drink, this wine has always tasted wonderfully well, but is now perhaps even better than ever, tannins begins to be rounded off, will hold another 30 years, if you want to save a few bottles for your children or grandchildren
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12/28/2015 - kevin h wrote: 90 Points
Sold, decently plummy port. Drinking well but no great complexity yet. Years left. Confirms my lack of interest in decent port, just doesn't really do anything for me.
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12/22/2015 - jgh123 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic Graham. I bought 2 cases of this in 1988 and am down to my last 6 bottles. Fully mature but will last decades. Tons of sweet fruit balancing the alcohol and rounding out with a lingering finish. Some nice Stilton and toasted pecans in front of a fire... Heaven!
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12/20/2015 - Zinlady Likes this wine: 94 Points
Was just great. Dark. Syrup like. Went well with walnuts and Stilton. My next to last bottle. Celebration wine.
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10/31/2015 - chbeaumont wrote: 94 Points
Despite a double decant 4 hours this was rather sulky. The final glass was the most enjoyable. Beginning to brown; the nose was closed though with coaxing & time a classic profile emerged, plus dark chocolate & soaked plums. Plenty of depth & concentration, textbook Graham's sweetness, with the best part being a near glorious finish. A long distance runner for now & next 20+ years.
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10/25/2015 - cos82 wrote: 90 Points
4th time from my cellar, and not as good as first 3, but still a decent wine. Mature cherry red. Prune, fig and chocolate on the nose. Not as smooth as prior bottles with noticeable alcohol on the finish. Prune and cherry on the palate. Not as sweet as a usual Graham, but still nice
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10/25/2015 - ctbob Likes this wine:
My bias is that I don't like Port. This was a gift, impeccably stored since release, and it was very alcoholic and still very young. Those who like Port liked it.
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10/2/2015 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
Likeable port, however, not enough fruit to merit a higher score, a tad to sweet for the fruit as well. Slightly alcoholic finish. I do not see any bright future here; nothing hidden beneath.
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9/13/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Still young, with its parts not quite fully melded together, the wine showed a lot of ripe, black cherry liqueur, dark chocolate, raisins and figs in its lush, fat, sweet character. I like Vintage Port with a lot of age. I'd give it at least another decade of further development.
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7/29/2015 - swade wrote: 92 Points
Rated on day two. Surprisingly youthful ruby color. Some lightening, but not much. The bottle and cork showed more age. Effusive aromas. Smells like mulled wine - clove, allspice and raisins. A lot of heat on day one turns to sweetness on day two. Warm entry. Palate complicated by blackberry, raisins and brandy. Alcohol poking through both days. Relatively thin. 92
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6/28/2015 - cliffkol wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 7 hours. Sweet, fruity, big aromas. Dark berries, raisins, bramble, honey, cassis flavors. Soft, velvety tannins. This is a leaner and medium body and texture port. Rich, lush and delicious.
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6/19/2015 - Rollerball wrote:
Scorching and gorgeous nose on a really balanced light-weight drinkable but still intense and complex port. Every kind of bark. Not too heavy; not too sweet. Some blueberry chemical on night two.
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5/17/2015 - klezman wrote:
Perfect way to end our wedding night. Delicious aromatics, perfect balance, showing some aged qualities while still retaining a core of berries and spice.
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5/5/2015 - gew71walsh wrote: 95 Points
This was drunk over a month. Each time, new aromas and tastes were revealed. Blackberry, boysenberry, licorice. This had integrated tannins that were velvet to the palate. A long lingering finish. This is a superb port with probably a lot of life left.
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4/25/2015 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Faded red with only a hint of tawny.
Molasses, sweet and fragrant, a nicely balanced richness, raisins, toffee and honey.
Has definitely turned from the super ripeness of youth to a more mature wine with earthy, Xmas pudding and roasted raisin flavours and a classicly leaner texture. At 30yrs it still has bags of richness and fruit, all the more impressive from a half-bottle. A powerful and long resonating finish with rich fruit and spice.
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4/6/2015 - kevin h wrote: 90 Points
Solid, maturing port. Plummy fruit.
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3/14/2015 - Rollerball wrote: 96 Points
Ambri's 30th birthday at our place! This '85 Graham was making people's hearts flutter. 8-hour decant. Really fabulous where smooth round fruit meets fire and iron; roasted hay and just sweet enough. Fully integrated but plenty energetic. Nice and long.
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3/11/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
A private tasting (Restaurant Merkelbach, Amsterdam, NL): Mature but lively appearance; attractive nose, rich fruit, deep and spicy; sweet and powerful palate, rich and lively, ripe berry fruit, lovely balance and length.
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3/6/2015 - AtoZ wrote:
Painful and hot this night.
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2/27/2015 - lockestep Likes this wine: 94 Points
This finally hit its stride after being open for four days. The rich aroma is literally room-filling. In the first day or three it had a restraint that convinced you there was more lying underneath the surface. When it finally emerged a wine of smooth richness and power. Classic iron fist in velvet glove stuff. Drink or hold, it may be around peak but thieswas from a 375; 750s may be behind in development.
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2/6/2015 - mattias_hansen@hotmail.com wrote: flawed
mouldy cork, which was soaked through and came out in two pieces. Luckily, no cork dropped into the content. Double decanted, and served after 3 hours, followed over several hours. I guess bottle variation is the key here. This was an ok bottle, but reading other notes, something was clearly amiss with my experience. There is some trace of TCA on the nose here, giving a mouldy attic, wet cardboard aroma, but there is also syrupy blackberry, prunes, orange rind, licorice, and tobacco. Palate texture is quite balanced with good sweetness wihtout being cloying, and a medium+ aftertaste. No real complexities though, whether due to TCA, or something else i am not sure.
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2/4/2015 - BklynNeophyte wrote:
Delicious, but opened at the wrong time (without any time to savor).
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1/25/2015 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 94 Points
Vintage Port 1985 - 30 year Retrospective Tasting over 2 days; 1/24/2015-1/25/2015 (Issaquah, WA): #2 of the second flight, day 2. Dark fruit color, medicinal smell, very smooth, great palate, 20 min later reduced heat, very good palate feel.
Grp note: Douglas fir, red Aussie licorice, more mature, dark chocolate, figs, prunes, delicious, Rose and cedar.
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1/10/2015 - captjimo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose was cherry liqueur and chocolate covered raisins. Palate full of fresh red fruit. Not too sweet with a long silky finish.
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12/29/2014 - Whidah Likes this wine: 95 Points
'Tis the season for drinking old port, if you have it. This is still remarkably fresh and fruity, despite a crumbling cork. Light and refreshing in the mouth initially, but then a long, long grippy finish that is sheer ecstasy. A remarkable example of how a thirty year port can be.
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12/27/2014 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
I enjoyed this; savory, peppery prune notes. Just didn't have that extra degree of complexity to push it over the top.
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12/24/2014 - Fiorano wrote: 92 Points
Still drinking very well. Clearly at its peak, but I suspect it's decline will proceed slowly, providing some five more years of enjoyment, perhaps more.
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12/13/2014 - WineGuyX Likes this wine: 94 Points
Surprisingly light in color, but very rich and full-bodied. porty. rich. really elegant. great stuff. Should last many a year. 94plus
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12/13/2014 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious rich round port. Layered flavors and nose. Medium to full bodied. Not too syrupy. Great with almost any dessert. Thoroughly enjoyed by all. Perfumed chocolatey raisin and black cherry. Delicious..
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10/30/2014 - rwpalmer wrote: 93 Points
Another squeaky clean bottle with tell-tale camphor notes. Medium power and sweetness. So well integrated... Really fine.
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10/15/2014 - David J Cooper wrote: 94 Points
Really drinking well.
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10/4/2014 - petitblanc wrote: 95 Points
Superb showing as previously. Fresh and youthful, profound, with tame enough spirit after 12 hours in the decanter. Maybe my favorite Graham's, a terrific value, to hold for decades.
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9/13/2014 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is drinking beautifully right now. Medium bodied, still a good amount of fruit, with the sophisticated flavors of a mature port. Go for Grahams when you buy older port you can get it for a steal.
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8/23/2014 - Claw Dee Puss Likes this wine: 95 Points
After 6 hours in the decanter this is simply sublime - I could talk about nose of this, and notes of that, but I think the word "sublime" was invented to describe this.
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7/31/2014 - d'Artagnan wrote: 96 Points
Un nez de fruit noir frais (prunes et cassis), de l'anis, un peu d'épices, de toffee. La bouche est onctueuse, c'est dense et fin à la fois, une véritable caresse pour le palais. Il a en fait la texture soyeuse d'un grand Bordeaux, la fraicheur, la jeunesse et l'équilibre d'un vin qui pourrait vivre encore plus de cinquante ans. Le meilleur Vintage que j'ai pris depuis vingt ans. Grand vin. 96 pts
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6/1/2014 - paulf Likes this wine: 94 Points
This spent 6 hours in a decanter before being decanted back into the bottle for transportation and was consumed around 10 hrs after opening.
I thought this might have had a touch of TCA at first as I was picking up something slight on the nose that didn't quite smell right. It was very faint and ultimately had no impact on the enjoyment of the port. I was the only one of the group that picked up on it but I was also the only one to have had this port before.
There is a bit of cocoa and cinnamon on the nose and an explosion of sweet spice, ripe berries with that hint of cocoa on the palate.
Lovely length and balance.
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4/20/2014 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 93 Points
Öppnade vi för en dryg vecka sedan och blev mycket tveksam till. Otroligt okomplicerad, söt bagatell.
Men, nu var den i fantastisk form! Fraktade det decanterade portvinet i PET-flaska från Japan till London och hällde tillbaka det i originalflaskan, med glada tillrop om att jag måste ha varit Rudy's hemlige hjälpreda. Ett kraftfullt vin idag, med otroligt intensiv röd frukt, brutalt ungt och med en lysande framtid bra mycket längre bort i tiden.
Dricker för lite portvin...
Tufnell Park Tavern i London.
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4/12/2014 - gelliott Likes this wine: 95 Points
I didn't take formal notes (wedding reception and all, and I was the Best Man), but I was only able to give this magnum about 3 hours of decant before the reception started so it might have had 4 total by the time we started drinking. It was a bit spirity to start, but that integrated quickly and by the time the toasts rolled around it was singing. Champagne for most in attendance, Port for me and a handful of others.
Lots of purple and black berries on the nose. Stone fruits were in abundance on the palate. The berries and sweetness in the mouth were nicely balanced by very smooth but still formidable tannins. The acidity was good and very nicely integrated - it wasn't really noticeable except for making the Port seem very juicy. The finish was very long and seemed to grow longer as we progressed through the bottle.
In magnum this Port probably has another 10 years of improvement to go, and will then hold on its plateau for 10-20 more years.
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4/11/2014 - docdavid Likes this wine: 91 Points
At first , young,too "grapey", but after several days, mellowed and had terrific fruit and depth
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4/2/2014 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Nose of sweet raisins and dark, sweet fruit. Palate was very enjoyable with the tannins fading and the secondary flavors playing the primary role. Nice long finish. Very enjoyable and killer with a piece of dark chocolate.
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3/30/2014 - Purple Tooth wrote: 94 Points
Has made transition from grape to honey appearance. Very viscose and thick, and well balanced showing age and maturity, with a continuation of the large presence of fruit in a liquor like forum (in a good way).
It is still silky, hinting the desire to nap another 5 years to lose some of the fruit ad become more complex. No raisin, with a very pleasant warm ending.
Very nice dessert choice if you gottem....
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3/1/2014 - EndreS wrote:
Vintage Port (Fem Bord, Trondheim): Here we go! Lovely fruit. Dense and meaty without going over the top. Packs a punch, but keeps the balance. No warmth. Love it!
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1/18/2014 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 95 Points
purple garnet. Nose and taste were seamless. Nothing stood out as out of place, medium sweet, smooth, plums, cinnamon. Just delightful and a home run with Stilton.
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1/17/2014 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful to compare to all the other Ports of the night. Definitely the most "grapey" of them all, but with the age the nuances come through now that the '94 Grahams was not ready to reveal. Overripe blackberries with sweet long tannins. Not as much sediment as I would have expected. A very rich Port with a long finish.
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12/24/2013 - PSPatrick wrote: 91 Points
The cork was completely soaked, but came out in one piece. There was some seepage under the capsule, but otherwise the wine seemed perfectly fine. We decanted the wine for five hours and left a truly large amount of muddy sediment (equaling at least one glass of wine) in the bottle. The wine offered blackberry, blueberry, cherry, plum, cucumber, chocolate, spices and a hint of tea on the nose. On the palate the wine showed blackberry, blueberry, cherry, plum, raisins, a boatload of chocolate, gingerbread, spices, clove, a hint of tobacco and black tea leaves. The Port was medium- to full-bodied and sweet, with medium-level acidity, medium-plus round, well-integrated tannin and very good length. It kept improving as time passed and seemed young. A very balanced, fruity, medium-complex Port that can be consumed now, but should continue to drink well for many years.
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12/10/2013 - Pinotnut wrote: 89 Points
Very soft, but beautiful time to be drinking it. No signs of going over the hill.
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12/1/2013 - chbeaumont wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby; closed nose; fuller, rounder than Warre; sound , solid but lacks flair; extended length.(An awkward phase? I've had better) ****.
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11/29/2013 - Johnnybegood Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted this wine over a two day period and much preferred it on day 2 for it's better balance and reduced tannins on the back end.
The color was a deep Burgundy purple and looked very youthful in appearance. This does not look like a almost 30 year old wine at all. The nose was very nice , sweet and floral.
Taste: Very, very good with a high level of sweetness in a rather rich full bodied style. The level of complexity and lingering finish is not as refined as the 1970 or 1977 Fonseca port but the rich and warm dark fruit provide a very satisfying experience on a nice cool winter night. Still some noticeable tannins on the finish indicate it still has many more years to go before it reaches peak maturity. I would try another bottle in 6-10 years time. A excellent 93 point wine indeed.
Update: I actually drank this bottle over a four day period during Thanksgiving and found it best on Day 3. It really came together beautifully after 72 hours with open exposure to air and no gas. On the 4th day there was a slight hardness compared to day 3 and I could tell it was starting a slow decline. A 93+ drinker after being open for 72 hours otherwise not quite as good.
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11/15/2013 - cjsavino wrote: 95 Points
Hope ct Santa enjoys this
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9/1/2013 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was an excellent vintage port that's drinking beautifully today. Deep and rich but still very youthful.
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8/9/2013 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
Cork pushed out a few millimetres (or not pushed in far enough?), very good level (into neck), no signs of any seepage; cork firm and extracted without difficulty. Mature but lively appearance, bright red core; rather modest nose even after several hours in the decanter, nothing of the customary Graham richness and sweetness, relatively dry and cedary, feels muted, empty even - and is there perhaps just a hint of TCA? On the palate vibrant and juicy but with a relatively light weight, again drier than expected, no faults but not consistent with previous notes either; rather light finish of decent length only. Still an adequate port but I have had much better bottles of this. First of a case - I hope this is a fluke! (89). Returned to the bottle after four hours and retasted after two days. Has opened up a bit and now displays a mature, liquorous cherry and milk chocolate character, with a nice hint of Cognac. This represents a marked improvement but still nowhere near what this VP should be capable of. (90)
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7/2/2013 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Better than on 10/28/11. Sweet earthy nose but rather subdued. Crisp acidic body with flavors of red berries, figs, and a nice green note. I'm not plagarising Gelliot but I also called it Rhubarb. A wonderful wine. Tasted from a bottle that was opened 3 days ago and kept under cork.
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6/27/2013 - gelliott Likes this wine: 94 Points
Color: Dark red with purple overtones. Opaque in the center. Fades toward pink at the rim but with distinct orange tones.
Nose: More spirit than usual, but that could be the ambient heat. Lots of rhubarb and ripe strawberry. A bit of blackberry and maybe some blueberry, though the blueberry is more of an echo. Also some anise and some very (very) faint caraway. Possibly also some black pepper, which seems unusual for a Graham.
Palate: Rhubarb here, too, as well as some tart strawberry. The alcohol from the nose isn't noticeable except as heat behind the black pepper, again not typical for a Graham. Purple brambles (mulberry, I think) present here along with blackberries and black raspberries. There are still quite a lot of tannins, though you'd never mistake it for a 2003. I'd probably believe you if tasted blind and told it was a '91 or '95, though.
Finish: Nice warmth, a few tannins, and some vague purple or black fruits. The finish is very crisp and pleasant. The end of a long tail shows some typical tart apples.
This bottle again strikes me as needing more time, but seemed a little more approachable now than my last. I'd say 5-10 more years to really hit its stride, but possibly more. I wouldn't even touch magnums for 10 years, and they'll probably need 20 more to be singing. Perhaps for my retirement party.
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6/25/2013 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 6/25/2013-6/26/2013: The wine looks Tawny colored. The legs are Slow. It smells like Espresso, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Walnut, and Butterscotch. The body is Full. The wine has Bright texture. The wine finishes Long. Barry's Port.
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3/30/2013 - drrobvino wrote: 94 Points
Perfectly mature, this port is amazing, graceful, figgy, savory, great.
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3/30/2013 - kevin h wrote: 90 Points
I don't seem to have a great deal of luck with Grahams. Maturing colour and plenty of sediment. After eight hours, rather mute nose and a slightly spirity flavour though decent plummy fruit with a bit of clove. Moderate sweetness. Better the next day, more figgy but no better than decent. A little subdued.
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3/18/2013 - gigmoney Likes this wine: 93 Points
Same as previous notes.
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1/2/2013 - redders Likes this wine: 92 Points
Typical Grahams sweetness and character but I expected a little more length. Very good port with plenty of character but lacked some structure
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12/23/2012 - Didman wrote: 95 Points
A really great Port. Medium body with sweet fruit that is just delicious right now.
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12/14/2012 - cos82 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mature pale cherry red. Fine nose of plum, licorice and fig. Wonderful complex palate of plum, chocolate and fig. No tannin. I loved the soft, velvet complexity and balance of this wine. Great way to end our great annual Holiday lunch at Bibou in Philly.
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12/11/2012 - BradKNYC wrote:
End of year dinner; Break out the good stuff- Alto Adige, Rhone, Bordeaux, Barolo, Loire and Port. (Amali.): From a half bottle, it shows a little more youthfully on the nose than it does on the palate, with the aromas being dominated by cherry, plum and baker's spices. Flavor wise, the cherry, plum and spice are there, but more complex and mature fig and toffee notes also make an appearance. Typically sweet and nicely balanced with a warm, rich and lingering finish. The alcohol is nicely integrated and while starting to take on a more mature profile, the wine shows freshness. A/A-.
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11/23/2012 - gigmoney wrote: 94 Points
Great bottle from excellent provenance, perfect cork. I may have decanted this a little early, as it had a decant at 9 am for 6 o'clock pouring, but time constraints made me do it. Glad I tasted it in the morning. Still ruby red at center, with slight bricking, this has come into a nice place. Fig, licorice, plum cover the palate and leave you with flavors of caramel for over a minute. This is beginning to becoming less of a brute and showing some light signs of full maturity. I can't wait to try it again in a few years.
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11/17/2012 - fredb Likes this wine:
Double decanted at 1 p.m. for consumption starting around 6:30 p.m. Expected amount of crust was easy to get a clear pour off of despite not standing bottle up prior. Initial impression from end of bottle was of prune, plum, licorice, and fig cake on the nose with a prune, fig, and spirit palate that lingered in a syrupy, long finish. By serving time, the nose and palate had less evident spirit and more berry elements. Licorice joined on the palate and the finish remained long and sweet. This is drinking well after a suitable amount of air. I see toffee and caramel elements possible in the future and expect this wine to have a long life. Drink or hold.
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11/2/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
Light ruby. Very ripe, pruny nose. Very sweet with fig, molasses, and chocolate. Despite this array, it still seems dense and simple for a port of this age. Not particularly bright acidity, so a bit dull and heavy tasting. I will see how this bottle fares over the next few days, but not a tremendously promising start.
Now, after 24 hours in the decanter, more plummy, spicy and perfumed. It has really relaxed and is more airy and less monolithically dense. Less sweet too. I guess the moral of the story is that this needs a good day's decant to begin showing anything like mature port, but it still is not going to win any prizes for complexity or elegance.
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10/31/2012 - SAND Likes this wine:
Symington-smaking i regi av Aperitif (Gamle Logen, Oslo): Farge: Rødsvart, mørk, men litt modning med rødt mot kanten.
Duft: Kompleks, balansert nese, litt lukket, åpner seg med lufting, delikat, kompleks.
Smak: Ganske søt, rik, men.....
En god vin, men jeg ble ikke helt overbevist. MEN det hjelper med lufting. Gi den luft eller prøv igjen om noen år.
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10/31/2012 - AreH wrote:
frisk, kompakt, utrolig myk, silkemyk. elegant og frisk med hint av sjokolade. nydelig!
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10/19/2012 - mcsac67 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep violet in color. Aroma of dark berry and licorice. Flavors of blackberry, violet, pepper and chocolate. Supple tannins, great structure. Excellent.
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10/15/2012 - ricegpa wrote: 87 Points
Not much left in the nose.
The port was smooth, balanced, with soft tannins but somewhat lacking in terms of richness and complexity
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10/10/2012 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs - Double Blind; 10/9/2012-10/10/2012 (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): - Violet color with fast forming legs. It's balanced with a full body. Polished texture with a medium finish - Jerry's port.
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9/23/2012 - M.Batard wrote: 93 Points
On offer in the bar at O&C, so no assurance on how long the bottle had been open. Deep ruby color. Plums, figs, spice--and a hint of something savory?--on the nose and the palate. Long finish. Much more interesting than the Taylor's '77 tasted alongside. Yum.
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9/18/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 93 Points
Very pretty wine, tasty.
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8/11/2012 - John McCabe wrote: 95 Points
Nicely balanced, sweet and racey. Not the last word in structure and power, but really quite the treat.
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7/25/2012 - gelliott wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 8 hours
Color: Deep ruby to garnet. Not quite opaque in bright light. Lots of gooey sediment in the bottle.
Nose: Stone fruits and bramble berries for the most part. Some plum along with blackberries and black currants. I get an impression of underlying change, in the sense that it seems like I can smell fermenting grapes. It's a little bit lodge-like, but not quite.
Palate: Darker and more brooding than past experience with this Port. Plums and prunes, ripe blackberries, and very rich and dark grapes. Good tannins and good acidity, though the tannins seem to be starting to fade.
Finish: Warm and comforting. Some tannins initially, but then mostly an echo of the palate. Nice and long and even includes some tart applies as it fades out.
This bottle seems to have taken a step backward relative to past experience, but also seems to indicate a need for further aging. Most of my experience with the G85 is that it is fabulous and very approachable right now... this bottle backs off a bit from that and says "give me some more time." My gut says 5-10 years to re-settle, but that assumes that it's already integrating and not still thrashing about trying to find itself. Regardless, an excellent Port to drink today and likely an outstanding Port again in a few years.
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6/30/2012 - godx wrote: 91 Points
Dinner at Home (Vancouver, BC): No formal notes. Notes of dark cherries, Christmas cake and spice. Bright and youthful on the palate with good concentration and acidity with a long finish. Young but drinkable. Needs 5-10 years. Excellent. 91+
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6/18/2012 - vintage61 wrote:
HOT HOT HOT, Tons of alcohol. Way out of balance. Drank with Starla at my home and she agreed about the heat. Given the high regard bestowed on this wine by this board, I can only assume this is an off bottle. Given the fact that this and the previous bottle have the same flaw, this is from a bad barrell, had poor provinence, or else ??? SCORE WITHELD
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6/10/2012 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Sunday Group: 2000 Bordeaux (Barb's): pale ruby color. Lovely black fruit- cassis, plum, blueberry, anise and lavender aromas. Loads of fruit on the palate; long finish.
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5/12/2012 - tomandlu wrote: 88 Points
Decanted about 4 hours. Lovely medium red color with a hint of brown at the edge, rather like a middle-aged Burgundy. Classic, though soft, Graham nose of flowers, plums, tea, tar, Asian spices, and figs. Beautifully integrated on the palate with not hint of heat and good, mature fruit. Rather short on the finish. A lovely drink but seemed a bit past its prime to me.
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5/12/2012 - Edclr wrote: 92 Points
Soft and lovely. Nice aged port. A lady, not a bruiser.
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4/22/2012 - tbailey540 wrote: 95 Points
Dark fruits and cherries
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3/18/2012 - aagrawal wrote: 93 Points
St. Patrick's Day Tasting (East Bay): From a magnum. Light bricking, nose has lovely raisoned fruit; complex palate, just the right amount of sweetness, not overly hot, integrated tannins and structure, quite light and fresh on the palate (a good thing). Ready to drink now and excellent overall.
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2/24/2012 - cannym wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 12 hours. Lovely deep garnet, only slight browning to rim. Fine black fruits and tons of them, cherry brandy, liquorice and warm spices. Lively acidity, great balance. Very long. Some sharp minerally quality too. The level had been very top shoulder, hence opened it just in case. Was no need, really just into maturity and no more. Lovely drink. Cork was still solid too, little seepage.
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2/24/2012 - cos65 wrote:
Still deep purple. Amazingly fresh ripe berry flavors, though not heavy like a fresh young port. After a number of tiring '85's, I am surprised how young and unevolved this is. Despite the "relative" lightness, this seems like it would easily last and improved over the next decade or two. Better than ****
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2/3/2012 - bowesmana wrote: 93 Points
Improved from previous bottle drunk 2011
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1/22/2012 - andtheodor wrote: 88 Points
From magnum with a base neck fill and active seepage. Thick, rich, fresh berry, fig. Intense, but simple. Widely enjoyed by non-winos too. Decent.
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12/25/2011 - Rollerball wrote: 94 Points
Significant bottle variation. This one was much more pleasurable than last month's possibly-flawed attempt.
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11/27/2011 - Rollerball wrote: 86 Points
Double decanted. A sharp, pruney finish I neither understood nor enjoyed took three and a half days of air to relax and integrate; and only then did this confess the port it could be. Now deep and dark, and slightly drying despite how juicy, it still ends with a hint of sezchuan bark and should not be enjoyed with fewer than several days' air. update: Even better six days in! 90+
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11/24/2011 - stevetimko wrote:
THis is showing quite nicely Glenn decanted it for much of the day and I think that helped a lot of the alcohol to blow off so it didn't seem out of balance. It came across as quite rounded. Obviously darker fruits like fig and raisins dominated. The wine seemed to have great balance and harmony and that's what stood out. This was one of the better ports I've had in a while. Imported by Vieux vins, Inc.
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11/12/2011 - Kirk Grant wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful and vibrant with bright fruit and structure that leads me to believe this will be classic in another 10+ years.
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11/11/2011 - greekwineaux wrote: 96 Points
Delicious-love that vintage ports are immortal. This one is stellar. Fine ending to a birthday evening.
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10/28/2011 - Javachip wrote: 93 Points
Wine Spectator Offline, San Diego (Mimmo's, Little Italy): 375 ml. Clear light ruby. Generous smooth, mellow sweet red fruit, more harmonious than the Dow. My #2 overall; group's favorite of three 1985 ports.
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10/28/2011 - Racer117 wrote: 92 Points
From a half bottle with about 3 hours of decant time before tasting. The color is between dark brick red and brown. Prunes and figs leapt from the glass with similar flavors along with some almond/nut. The fresh balanced acidity really helps this wine. Easily my favorite vs. '85 Smith-Woodhouse and '85 Dow's.
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10/16/2011 - danielbleier wrote: 94 Points
Fig and almond nose. This was smooth and lovely when tasted. Creme brulee, fig, almond extract and mocha. Just a little light on the finish or this would have scored even higher.
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10/1/2011 - Old Claret wrote: 94 Points
Drank at Jane Olmsred’s with Sallie and Ken -- accompanied by “chocolate salami” Drink very well!
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8/11/2011 - wombat wrote: 91 Points
DAY 1
Bouquet: Sherry, light notes of varnish, fig, aged chocolate liquor, dry wood, plum
Flavor: Plum, wood, dry chocolate liquor.
DAY 2: Served at a slightly too warm room temperature
Bouquet: Some alcohol, soy/oyster sauce, prune, dash of chocolate liquor
Flavor: Plum, prune, dried cherry. Long Finish ending with chocolate liquor
Comments: Full flavor on a lighter than expected frame thanks to the age. Will chill slightly next time.
DAY 5:
Bouquet: Dried plum, black cherry, dried fig, mocha and pepper
Flavor: Plum, Dark cherry with pepper on the mid-palate and finishes long with chocolate liquor.
Comments: Peppery character is more noticeable. Very nice with vanilla ice cream on a brownie. Neither the bouquet or the flavor becomes pruney or raisony.
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6/24/2011 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
CellarTracker Wisconsin Offline I - Part One (Madison, WI): WIML90?
Tasted non blind at a wine dinner.
Garnet to perhaps dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose is a bit subdued giving way to aromas of lacquer, licorice and cigar box. Flavors of licorice and berries. Medium acidity, medium body. Drink or hold. This bottle was a bit under-performing from what I would have expected.
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6/24/2011 - petitblanc wrote:
CT Wisconsin Offline; 6/24/2011-6/25/2011 (Madison, WI): This had a beautiful, deep, fresh color, and showed lovely pure fruit. The spirit just came through too strongly. Not scored.
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5/26/2011 - andtheodor wrote: 91 Points
Very volatile acetone caramel nose that resolved slowly with air. Prune, carob liqueur on a silky but weighty palate with very restrained sweetness.
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5/25/2011 - vintage61 wrote: 89 Points
Opened at my place after Susan's birthday dinner at the new Oak Cliff Gloria's Restaurant. From .375 Filtered and decanted with no air time before serving. Seconday and tertiary aromas lept from the bottle when opened promissed an event not to be fulfilled. Mid plum color, indicative of age. Tobacco and leather on the palate, accompanied by a low level of heat. The presence of the heat constantly intimidated the next sip and basically ruined the experience. Three drinkers did not finish the .375. Score would be several points higher, sans the heat. Maybe my second bottle will show better, but I haveno hope.
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5/21/2011 - robmatic wrote: 94 Points
Powerful, structured, classic port. Lovely aromatics and mild sweetness. Very memorable.
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4/14/2011 - MoTheMan wrote: 98 Points
Can't say I agree more with jantor's review of 1/21/2011. An excellent port/wine. Now I haven't had the Taylor '48 or the Fonseca '77, but heck, I was pretty happy with this one.
Had this wine along with three other wines while attending a major herf (cigar fest) late at night with some of my cigars buds in Orlando, FL. This port really stood out. Balanced well with a variety of the cigars we were smoking, did not clash with the other wines we were drinking; neither did it overpower the palate as to diminish our experience of the rest of the wines/cigars/late night snacks.
Very classy!
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4/2/2011 - mmurry Likes this wine: 95 Points
A nice nose of raisin and spice, with hints of espresso and cherry liqueur. Smooth and soft on the palate, the flavors are just like the nose.
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1/21/2011 - jantor wrote: 97 Points
It is 7-or 8 years since I last had a Grahams 1985 - and it was very good - but this one really surprised me. Still opaque dark dense color. Very fresh and almost young fruity nose with wood, sweet cherries, plums, some raisins and sweet chocolate. The taste is wonderful - dense, sweet and "symmetric". Still fresh and fruity with a lot of tannins, concentration, length that never ends. An array of aromas. Power and complete harmony at the same time - wow! Only beaten by Taylor 1948 and a Fonseca 1977.
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1/2/2011 - gdenner wrote: 96 Points
Exquisite Ralph loved this.. refused to even eat food with it
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12/31/2010 - gelliott wrote: 94 Points
Color: A brilliant ruby stream was poured into the decanter and became a healthy deep garnet. Lots of sediment remained in the bottle.
Nose: Floral grapes and perfumed alcohol give an impression of lilacs. Some tomatoes give it a slight tang. The lilacs are quite strong. Possibly some honeysuckle. Underlying mulberry or other bramble type berry.
Palate: Mellow, round red fruits. Raspberry, but not tart. Sweet strawberry, some light plum. Some tannins, but fading. Good acidity. Tries to present some chocolate, but doesn't quite get there. Medium body, medium sweet.
Finish: The same mellow red fruits with a slightly metallic aftertaste. Good warmth, very good length.
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12/24/2010 - Harrying wrote: 96 Points
Why we love vintage port!
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12/24/2010 - drwine2001 wrote:
Decanted for 12 hours. Still quite deep and primary looking. The nose is sweet and figgy but mostly integrated with some secondary perfume. Dense and sweet in the mouth but beautifully balanced by acidity and round tannins. This bottle must have been locked in a time capsule; although the nose gives a hint of maturity, we would have never guessed 25 year old port from the color or palate. Hold for 10+ years if you are seeking a mature port experience.
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12/11/2010 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru; 12/10/2010-12/11/2010 (Chicago, IL): Dark purple colour. Nose of figs and other black fruits, sweet, and without a big whiff of spirit. Some notes of cacao and coffee. This is very approachable and fruity on the palate, with relatively muted spirit. Notes of black figs. A liqueur-like texture and finish. A tenor to the bass that is Taylor. Simpler and more primary than the '77. Warming (instead of hot), and I imagine a great fireplace sipper for those cold winter nights.
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11/25/2010 - Old Claret wrote: 93 Points
(93-94) Opened at Ann A’s thxgiving dinner. Delicious but we were too stuffed to really enjoy it.
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11/25/2010 - pdadams66 wrote: 93 Points
Deep red center, red to pink rim with some signs of age.
Sweet, almond, a little cut grass, blackberry, blackcurrant, smoke.
Very sweet, a little astringency, faded fruit with alcohol, a little vegetal, smooth long finish.
Excellent, mature, maybe best of the 85s.
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11/24/2010 - KVM wrote: 94 Points
Popped and Poured: Med red with a little brick at the edge. Sharp liquer-like nose, cocoa, plum, mint. Flavours of blackberry, plum and cocoa. Rich and fresh with a tangy, menthol and alcohol finish. This is delicious at 25 years. Sweetness is not the most prominent feature, nor is tannin. Wonderfully balanced.
After the bottle is open for 24 hours: Dark fruit and mint on the nose, with a lot more cocoa. Very silky with the blackberry annd cocoa. Sturdy and probably excellent for another 10 to 20 years.
Now open for 72 hours, I notice licorice, too. still vigorous.
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10/27/2010 - Rednorthstar wrote: 96 Points
Incredible. Slightly sweet, bright red fruit. Very light for a port, but very smooth, round mouthfeel. A little bit of spice on the a lingering, complex finish. I hope to enjoy this again. The best port I've ever had, and one of the best wines period. One of those wines you can't even pick apart the flavor, everything just melds together in perfection.
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10/25/2010 - jsebiri wrote: 93 Points
very very nice smooth well put togather
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10/15/2010 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Has matured very well, a lovely gentle vintage port, a successful 1985.
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10/2/2010 - rwpalmer wrote: 94 Points
I hesitate to bother with a note for a Port of this age.(But here goes...) There is just so much bottle variation beyond 20 years--Port if anything even more variable than Claret at this stage. My last bottle 5 years ago really didn't sing. Well, provenance matters, and this bottle has been twice by ship across the globe and pretty well cellared in between. (So only moderately promising.) The colour a lovely ruby red, remarkably light, though with only a hint of brown on a pale rim. I write this fairly soon after opening. A waft of fig and castor sugar--but not intrusive as Warres can be. Alcohol not obtrusive. Starting to become fairly light in weight though a beautiful long finish. This bottle has lived up to early expectation (being old enough now to have seen this throughout its evolution). A good bottle like this would be good 10-20 years more.
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9/4/2010 - bowesmana wrote: flawed
I decanted the port about 9 hours before we tried it. The cork had bulged out a bit and smelt slightly burnt, which didn't bode well. The wine was still quite closed but after a couple of hours in the decanter, it started to open up. Unforunately, it was slightly corked, but not so bad that it made it undrinkable!
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6/22/2010 - ed-d wrote: 90 Points
Deep color. Lush, sweet plum with excessive heat & tannin. Very young & needing to integrate. Tasted double blind
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6/14/2010 - chrisa23 wrote: 93 Points
Very nice. Sweetness and alcohol in good balance. A bit overpowering raisin at first open, but this dissipated some. Lots of red fruits and extremely enjoyable.
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5/8/2010 - sithinfiltrator wrote: 93 Points
Tasted as part of a port tasting hosted by Glenn Elliott on 4/30/10. Lisa 93, Vic 93.
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4/30/2010 - gelliott wrote: 95 Points
Color: Medium garnet with some bricking. Fades through pink at the rim.
Nose: Light Christmas spices, ripe strawberry, plum. Some unidentifiable bramble berry. Some alcohol, but it is behind the fruits. Some very faint meatiness and minerals. Overall impression is of a rich sweetness. I could be fooled into believing that this was a Taylor, but it is sweeter and richer than that.
Palate: Yum. Rich, sweet, red berries lead the way with just a hint of heat. Medium full body and medium sweet to sweet. Not cloying, but very rich. Tannins are present but not obtrusive. Acidity is very good making it seem very juicy. Very slightly acrid note late in the palate... probably just needs another 5-10 years of age to finish mellowing (or 4-6 hours of decant time... this is pop-n-pour).
Finish: Starts out with some moderate tannins and a little heat, then some mellow red fruits. Mid way through there's some grape skin which slowly melts away leaving just a pleasant heat. 45 seconds in there's some very faint apple.
A classic '85 Graham. Drinking beautifully now but with easily another 10-15 years of aging left before it hits its peak. I agree with Roy's most recent note estimating that its peak will be between 2020 and 2030. One of my favorite Vintage Ports.
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4/24/2010 - vinolovers wrote: 91 Points
The final wine of our "Remember the 80's" tasting. Decanted about 3 hours before serving. A somewhat bright red coloring accompanied by notes of cherry, red fruit and then some earthiness. Fully put togather but it seemed a bit light compared to other 1985 ports consumed in the past 6 months.
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2/15/2010 - elbosco wrote: 94 Points
Light, translucent garnet with amber undertones. Sweet but not cloying with smoldering peat, caramel and charred almonds. Fruit pretty much dissipated. Long, morning-after finish. No need to wait on this one.
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2/12/2010 - CellarBord wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful to drink. Very nice with Bitter-sweet Chocolate Souffle, Creme Fraiche Glace and Bleu de Champagne cheese.
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2/9/2010 - BigGer wrote: 94 Points
Sweet raisins, coppery dates and milk broth in a butter sauce. It might get better if you want to wait, but why chance it.
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1/20/2010 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
IWFSC Governors Lunch (Dan's): Always a favorite even for it's (relative) youth. Nice balance of black fruit, chocolate and round frame.
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1/9/2010 - geneswine wrote: 95 Points
Really nice at this point. No need to wait longer, its at its peak. Medium weight beautyfull flavors.
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1/3/2010 - City Wine Journal wrote:
Acker Merrill Purchase from two years ago. Stood up for 3 days. Firm cork extracted with Screwpull, intact in fine shape. Decanted slowly. Using a candle doesn't help with sediment, the bottle and wine are an impenetrable combination! Used sieve for last quarter, a slow drip.
Decanted sample is quite leggy with clear glycerin, translucent ruby; alcoholic, sweet and luscious on the nose; black cherry in a chocolate & tobacco robe, coating and mouth-wateringly long. It will sit for 6+ hours before service.
This is gonna be good... More to come.
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12/14/2009 - JBBridge wrote: 93 Points
Drank with stilton cheese after a holiday feast. Decanted for eight hours, which was adequate. A great deal of sediment, which was easily removed. Absolutely delicious! Quince, dark fruit, cherries on the nose and palate. Still very young but what a treat. This wine deserves all of the praise it has received in the notes here.
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10/31/2009 - phenricsson wrote: 92 Points
Great looking. Deeper color than expected. Decanted 8 hours. A bit muted in flavor. Very good, but not as good as usual. All the flavors are there but not as intensely as I expect it to be.
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9/26/2009 - ecnemergut wrote: 90 Points
Decanted six hours, which probably wasn't nearly long enough (at least for this bottle). Raisin, dark cherry nose. Sweet on the palate but with a good tannic backbone kicking in the end. Wonderfully long, sweet finish. No heat as in previous notes.
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8/28/2009 - moguls wrote: 95 Points
Decanted six hours prior to consumption. Cork saturated, but not leaking. Lovely well-balanced red fruit/fig nose. Very nice on palate, lots of round mouth feel and finishes well. Multi-dimensional port with a finish that just goes on and on.
Outstanding!
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7/18/2009 - gelliott wrote: 94 Points
Decanted cleanly off of significant sediment. The cork was completely soaked through, but hadn't yet allowed any leakage.
Deep garnet in the decanter, more of a deep ruby in the glass. A wonderful nose of strawberries and fully ripe red raspberries, with just enough alcohol to give it some heat even in the nose. Afterwards, the dried glass smells of raisins and cinnamon.
Medium bodied and medium sweet in the mouth. Beautifully balanced with just the right amounts of red fruit, heat, and tannins. Some light milk chocolate and slightly darker fruits - possibly ripe mulberries - developed with time.
A very good bottle with probably another 10 years of potential improvement left, or drinking superbly right now.
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6/19/2009 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Lunch at the Square (Mayfair, London): An absolutely lovely port, and a real treat with stilton cheese. Stunningly young though. Along with lovely spice cake, figs, raisins, toasty smoked nuts and mahogany tones on the nose, there was also a fresh dark fruit component, perhaps shading into quince preserve, that ran through the nose an into the palate. And what a palate that was too. Superb balance, lively acidity lending a great freshness, very well fruited with more of that lovely dark fruit, almost liquered, and lovely secondary characteristics of vine leaves, all in a clean, lithe package with the lushest tannins. There was a really nice expansion of fruit in the mid-palate as well, very quince-paste like flavours. Finish was nice and bright, with a linger of smokiness and prickly acidity. This still has a very long way to go, especially when compared with the 1983 and 1980, which seem miles more developed. Excellent. I would have rated this even more, if not for the fact that there seems to be a little gap, a little hidden complexity in there that will take some bottle-age to coax out. A real pleasure on the day though.
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6/14/2009 - petitblanc wrote: 94 Points
Very dark red-purple, with a slightly tight nose of burnt sugar, although this did open up after some time in the glass and vigorous swirling. On the palate, showing a hint of mature earthiness but overall still powerfully fruity and youthful, and fairly tannic. Rich raspberry, chocolate and licorice notes make this very nice to sip now, and I would expect even better things in another 5 years or so. If I open another of these soon, I'll decant for 2-3 hours, but did not have time on this occasion.
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5/24/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
A private lunch (Restaurant The Waterside Inn ***, Bray-on-Thames, UK): Wonderful, rich, ethereal, plums, brandy, very sweet, powerful, exotic, great structure and length. Fabulous VP.
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5/19/2009 - jsebiri wrote: 92 Points
nite with boys celebrating new job for me.....bottle was very nice , rich wine....lots of muted alcohol on the nose....this was great way to spend the nite than Andy brought the 1916 Hoopers
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5/9/2009 - mwhitmoe wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 2 1/2 hours. Beautiful nose. Intoxicating raisin and vanilla. Lighter than many comparably great vintages, but not thin. Solid structure. Cherry and berry flavors prevalent. Very nice and reasonably long finish. This is probably hitting its peak from what I can tell. Might not hold onto it too much longer. Overall a treat to behold.
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3/23/2009 - foodandwineblog wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. A bit of heat blew off over time in the decanter. Still a rich, young port with many good years ahead. Dark fruits, spice, highlighted with a finish of fine tannins and dark cherry.
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3/13/2009 - Umay Ceviker wrote: 94 Points
Hazy ruby with a purple tone. Delivers gorgeous aromas and flavours of chocolate, cherries and spice. Concentrated, refined and luscious with silky tannins and a long lingering finish.
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2/10/2009 - jlgnml wrote: 95 Points
IWFSC 742nd Dinner (Primehouse Chicago IL): Smooth. Light in color. Light on the palate. Just right to end the evening with.
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2/10/2009 - KPB wrote: 97 Points
A proof that there are no great wines, just great bottles, this particular bottle of Graham's 1985 is simply off scale. Aromatically very much in line with my prior notes: crunchy red berries -- currents or pomegranate, white chocolate, spice cake. But what a palate impression this bottle gives -- supple, almosy satiny. Absolutely riveting. I've drunk perhaps 20 bottles of the 1985 Grahams. This one, though, is from another planet!
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1/31/2009 - kris.h wrote: 93 Points
Nose of chocolate and a bit of a mustyness that blows off after a bit. Medium to full body. Moderate tannin. Lush, silky, sweet. Some leather. medium finish. Dark berries. Full lush tannin. Enjoyed this more than the '77 Graham's.
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1/16/2009 - cos82 wrote: 92 Points
Mature slightly pale red in color. Subtle nose of plum, cherry and cocoa, but pleasant. Soft and smooth on the palate. Balanced sweetness, but not overly so, of plum, cherry, cocoa and blueberry. A hint of alcohol on the finish. No tannin and ready to go. Nice conclusion to multi course byob dinner that went well with cheese course and following creme brulee.
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1/9/2009 - PortFanatic wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Corked soaked through. It had not leaked but was close to failing. Dark color. Not opaque, but still quite dark. Subtle nose. Nice spice, and not hot at all. On entry, burst of fruit, nice glyceral mouthfeel. Very well balanced. Good acid. Nice balance between red and black fruits. Obviously sweet in the finish. Very subtle tannins that started to grow as it sat in the glass. No heat or obvious alcohol at all. Nice wine. This would be the Pinot of Port as compared to many other Ports. Maybe a bit too polite. I'd prefer a bity more bite in the finish. Maybe a bit more concentration. But still a very nice, extremely clean wine.
2 days later - It aslo picked up weight with time as well. Showing even better now. Bumping up the score from 93 to 94.
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1/3/2009 - bon vivant wrote:
Opened one ( from latest acquisition) at the cabin in honor of Rick B. This got tossed into the big decanter and showed nice maturing flavors and structure and was very smooth & tasty with a good balanced and slightly spicy finish showing nice structure. The original plan was to save a split for the next day but after a while Mark H & me went back and continued sipping on this until we drained the bottle. Yumm.
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12/10/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Nice nose, sweet, sweet fruit but a little hot on the finish. Less balanced than the two 94s. **1/2
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12/6/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 93 Points
i don't drink a lot of port, and i'm not even certain how to post a note on this one, except to say i found it to be delicious. i think this should be a motivating taste for more adventures with this style. i presume drink or hold until you are a skeleton.
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11/29/2008 - kris.h wrote: 94 Points
The cork was soaked and leaking just a little bit. On decanting, I noticed a rather light color. This darkened up a little bit after several hours of air but it was still a lighter color than I remember from my last tasting. Overall, this bottle showed more age than previous bottles. I suspect this was stored at warmer though fairly consistent temperatures. Even though this showed more age, it was an absolutely delicious bottle. Full body on the palate with good sweetness. Lush, well integrated tannins. Very soft, and silky. Sweet red fruit with leather, anise, and cinnamon. Nearly perfect balance and the alcohol is just barely noticeable on the pleasing warm finish. Perhaps this is a glimpse at what a perfectly stored bottle will be like in 10 to 15 years.
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11/25/2008 - ecnemergut wrote: 93 Points
Decanted about 4 hours. Wonderful cherry raisin nose with, initially, a touch of alcohol. Wonderfully sweet on the palate with a very long finish. Put under gas and kept cool overnight. The second night, it developed some interesting cough syrup notes , which we found somewhat less desirable; however, this went away by the last glass, which was splendid.
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11/23/2008 - greekwineaux wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at Sinon's #3. My contribution to the evening. I didn't think our host wanted to open it up, but as soon as his wife was serving the dessert, he asked me to open the Graham's for him. I felt bad because this wine does well with a long decant, but for the 15 minutes that I had to give it air, it was delicious. Some of the heat was still there, but it didn't hold back any of the pleasantries of this excellent port.
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11/1/2008 - MarcoAzevedo wrote: 97 Points
My best port ever. After being decanted and filtred still had some deposits.
Dark red color, with aromas of blackberry, caramel and hints of flowers. Full-bodied, very well ballanced sweetness, with impressive smoothness abd superbly rounded tannins. Astonishing long, fresh and youthful.
Outstanding!
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10/16/2008 - foodandwineblog wrote: 95 Points
A very concentrated port that has decades to go before it all comes together. Sweet surypy deliciousness with ripe fruit, burnt vanilla, toasted oak, and outstanding structure. A real treat to finish off a night of outstanding wines. foodandwineblog.com
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9/1/2008 - sweetstuff wrote: 92 Points
one bottle cracked at Ron Romain's house 9/1/2008" Youngish lacquer-driven fruit of black cherries, anise, tobacco smoke, and violets. Had 3-4 hours previous decanting time--will do better tomorrow/
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7/10/2008 - psmith wrote:
Drank with a well aged Montecristo 2. A good core of young fruit and weight to stand up to the cigar. Mellowed but ample structure. Fine to drink now.
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7/3/2008 - SethR wrote: 95 Points
Still exceptional
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6/28/2008 - Old Claret wrote: 95 Points
Drank at our house for Ann A & Lisa’s birthdays, with home-made chocolate truffles and Stilton cheese. Steve gives it a 95. Andrea doesn’t know how to grade it (liked it but can’t stop thinking about that 1966 Fonseca.)
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5/26/2008 - City Wine Journal wrote: 95 Points
Retail bottle, held about six months. Heavy sediment upon decanting for about 6 hours, cork removed intact and well preserved thank you Acker Merrill! Thick, deep and enveloping, with a nose redolent with deeply embedded well endowed blackberry, raspberry and raisin, a sweetly delectable, quite friendly and approachable port of exceptional class, a little heated at the end as befits its 20% level, and incredible length. Miles to go before it sleeps.
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5/18/2008 - KPB wrote: 96 Points
Now and then I suppose I should upload a TN for this sublime port -- a favorite of mine and Anne's. The color is cranberry with a generous hint of amber. Limpid in the class, almost syrupy, with a lovely nose of grenadine and red currents, maple syrup, bitter orange, white chocolate. Spicy elements on the delicate finish. Very sweet; unmistakable Graham's style, with a really long, lingering finish showing waves of ripe fruit. Not really mature, but I love Grahams at this stage, when the fruit is still vivid and the whole wine is in balance. A hint of heat at the very back end.
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4/27/2008 - ecnemergut wrote: 93 Points
Decanted at cellar temperature for 3 hours and then consumed. Sweet nose of strong raisin with very subtle cherry. Not overly complex of the palate with a very pleasant long, sweet finish. Some subtle heat at first, but this disappeared fairly quickly. Excellent.
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4/19/2008 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Steven K. Dinner Party (Home): I pulled this just to have something to drink with the Vosages, but it was surprisingly good! I would say at or near maturity, it had all the components in harmony without that younger port heat that is so common. Typical Graham's feminine sweetness on the palate but with good complexity and structure. Very nice.
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4/12/2008 - kris.h wrote: 95 Points
was jonesing for a good bottle of Vintage Port and with some assistance, decided on this bottle. I decided to NOT decant this to allow for slower aeration so I could follow this over a 2 or 3 day period.
On extracting the cork, I noticed that the cork was in incredibly good shape. The Port had barely penetrated a half inch up the cork. The first taste reveals some funkyness that quickly blows off. The nose shows restrained scents of cinnamon, cherry, licorish, and berries. The palate shows nice sweetness with well integrated yet still firm tannins and subtle acidity. Good length on the finish with fruit and spices. Before I knew it, half the bottle was gone. Incredibly good but would it get better with more air?
The second day in the bottle reveals significant changes. An incredibly seductive nose lured me in. Everything I mentioned before but more intense and complex. Eating a piece of Santander 65% Columbian chocolate then smelling the Port and I was in heaven. The palate gained in weight and showed lush tannins. Prunes, dates, and figs on the long seamless finish. Shows spice and great complexity.
On the third day there just enough left for a few more small glasses. Showed much like the second day. I have tasted 1985 Graham's a few times before. This is by far the best showing yet, bordering on perfection for me. I realize there are many other great Ports out there with a better reputation that I have yet to taste so I must remain conservative in my score.
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4/5/2008 - petitblanc wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for sediment only, this showed nicely immediately upon opening. Clear cranberry color. Cinnamon, sour cherry, pleasing warmth. Thinning a bit, not overly complex, but very serviceable.
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12/2/2007 - dougie wrote: 90 Points
Maybe decanted too long (5 hours). The flavor was excellent, but the densness and fruit was lacking from previous experiences. Next time, two or three hour decant. From a 10th.
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11/15/2007 - theportguy wrote: 90 Points
Medium dark in color with lightening around the edges. Nose is a little tight. Some blackberry and a little spirit on the nose. Medium body weight, with a medium-long finish. Light spirit on the finish.
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11/15/2007 - kris.h wrote: 91 Points
Lighter than the 1996 Malvedos but not a lot. The nose on this was tight and not revealing much. Some cherry and light chocolate scents. The palate was rather nice, smooth, rich, and voluptuous. Well integrated tannin and nice subtle acidity. Some heat showing which leads to a warm figgy finish. A good port but it showed below expectations this time.
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11/4/2007 - abh wrote:
Complex, spicy, ever so slightly hot and alcoholic. Not too thick/rich/weet at all. Excellent stuff.
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10/23/2007 - petitblanc wrote: 93 Points
Very nice, classy, delicious. Just a bit closed, but the fruit is wonderful. A wine for drinking, not sipping. This half-bottle had a very faint hint of cork taint, but the flavors of the wine were so focused they were able to dominate. Served at the proper temperature, perfect balance without overpowering alcohol/heat.
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10/13/2007 - spartacus111 wrote: 93 Points
I can see why this is such a crowd pleaser. While not overly complex, it is very enjoyable. This was perfect at about 6 hours of decanting time. A bit grapey, mild cocoa, chewey, inky black in color. Alcohol well integrated. The tannins are still strong and I would imagine this still has decades to go. Not as great as I thought it would be but far from a dissapointment.
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10/13/2007 - dd wrote:
from 375 decanted absolutly awesome, it has lost the syrupy feel and really well balanced
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8/8/2007 - dougie wrote: 95 Points
love this stuff. Celebration for Barry Bonds #756-woohoo!
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8/5/2007 - goofy Yno wrote: 92 Points
decanted for 9 hours. served at 55 degrees. nice nose with candied cherries, raspberries, cola, some menthol. a good amount of sweetness without being overly so. nice red fruits. good finish.
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7/13/2007 - mjpaustin wrote:
Pulled straight from the cellar. This needed to be decanted - especially from a 375, as was the case here - because there was so much sediment that I ended up straining it through cheesecloth. But the wine itself was drinking extremely well - very smooth, and no heat. Beautiful mature black fruit and molasses.
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6/30/2007 - JScott wrote: flawed
Corked?
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5/18/2007 - dougie wrote: 95 Points
Was only able to decant for an hour. But, still amazing. Rich, smooth and sooo flavorful! This wine continues to keep looking for more.
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4/21/2007 - jwwinec wrote: 92 Points
Very mellow, sweet, and rich.
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4/19/2007 - cos82 wrote: 92 Points
Purchased on release and stored in my cellar since then. Opened and decanted 2 hours before drinking. Almost no sediment. Mature pale color. Soft subtle nose of fruit and cocoa. Goes down easy. Does not have the big sweetness and alcohol I find in some Graham Ports which I view as a plus. Nice soft balanced flavors of blackberry, nuts and cocoa. Very ready to drink now, and I probably would not wait much longer, since it may be at its peak. Very enjoyable.
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3/31/2007 - dougie wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Then, it opened up even more during the next 3 hours. Amazing! At the end, blueberry, rasberry and cocoa.
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1/6/2007 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Still pretty young and tight. Should definitely improve from here...
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12/2/2006 - fhmesq wrote: 93 Points
Decanted half the bottle for 2 hours. Surprisingly very nutty smell from the bottle after opening. I had this in 2/05 and thought it was the best port I had ever had. Wasn't quite as good as I remember it, but still really, really good. Perhaps it was the time the 2/05 glass had to breath. Nicely balanced between the fruit and some nutty/caramel flavors, really nice long finish. Definitely has more time but also drinking wonderfully right now.
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11/11/2006 - chbeaumont wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding, nose lacking the remainder perfect. 18Showing age, pale ruby; again nose restrained, coffeed, but all bit too elegant; lovely sweetness, real oomph; fully mature, graceful yet intense finish. 17+ Drink next 5+ years.
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10/24/2006 - phenricsson wrote: 93 Points
1985 Graham’s (Half bottle) Very sweet and nice, perfectly mature (must be the size of the bottle) Spicy, rich and flamboyant with good fruit and backbone. Huge aftertaste. 93p.
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10/18/2006 - win wrote: 89 Points
Burgundy at LOLA (Dallas, Texas): Deep, rich and smooth--just did not seem as complex as one would think.
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9/27/2006 - wvisser wrote: 88 Points
A little hot I thought, but quite good, just not as good as I thought it would be.
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9/16/2006 - trankin wrote: 90 Points
Paul's 50th (?? steak house in the catskills): From 375ml. Didn't have a chance to decant this. Poured straight from the bottle, only slightly below room temperature. Initially quite hot. Over the hour we drank this, it smoothed out quite a bit. Could still use a few more years in the bottle. Nice texture, good subtleties, but it could do so much more with a bit more and proper decanting. I scored this 90, but think it can do quite a bit better.
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7/26/2006 - la turque wrote: 96 Points
Drinking perfectly. Lovely balance between frest fruit and complexity.
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7/14/2006 - Rupert wrote: 92 Points
Blind tasting of vintage pairs (Alba Restaurant, London): Again, very fruity and sweet, perfect now.
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4/9/2006 - 5laton wrote:
Surprisingly weak in in color, tons of fine sediment. Quite tired and weak in flavor on the palate. No idea how long this had been open, but I suspect a bad bottle.
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3/11/2006 - kris.h wrote: 92 Points
Dark ruby / garnet red. Even though this bottle was standing up about 2 months before I opened it some very fine sediment made it's way into the decanter. On the nose there is a little heat but not much. There are also hints of red fruit, cinnamon, clove, and prune. On the palate there is more spice with a smooth round mouth feel. There is still a lot of tannin and a good level of acidity. The finish is long. Overall, very good stuff. 50 + 5 + 12 + 16 + 9
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3/5/2006 - jwwinec wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 9 hours. Showing well, with lots of sweet, silky fruit and good richness.,
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12/30/2005 - vinolovers wrote: 96 Points
Decanted about 3 hours before served. Had a nice medium to dark ruby coloring, no bricking around the edges and WOW!. Lots of red fruit but no dried ones.A hint of chocolate, coffee, tobacco and leather added to the complexity. Very very smooth. This one has another 10-20 years left if properly stored.
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12/28/2005 - la turque wrote: 94 Points
Delicious with airing and some considerable time. A little on the lighter style, but rich, sweet and fruity.
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12/16/2005 - Old Claret wrote:
Drank a bottle on 11/19/95, with Allibob and Ziteltooles, due to stained label. AN loved it!!
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11/19/2005 - KPB wrote: 96 Points
Saturated black/red with no sign of age. Needed some air, then fantastic. Nose of crème-de-cassis, roses, citrus. Extremely young; rich and quite sweet, very long, framboise liqueur or crème de cassis; not at all hot. 96+ with a long positive evolution ahead.
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11/16/2005 - frischy wrote:
not much port experience, but as far as mine goes this is some pretty damn good stuff. DECANT - some serious sediment. Heat is almost gone, give it a bit of time in the glass or decanter and fruits really emerge.
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10/30/2005 - DougLee wrote:
Nose not open. Palate thin and hot. Bad bottle.
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10/17/2005 - jwwinec wrote:
Dinner Party (My Place): Argh, this one was bad too. Clear signs of heat damage, massive VA on the nose.
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9/18/2005 - Jeff W wrote:
Decanted about two hours before drinking. A surprisingly pale ruby colour going into the decanter. Delicious to drink, with intense sweet fruit more than matched by vibrant acidity. The finish was long, but not tannic. All this is from memory, as I did not take notes. All I can say is that the bottle was polished up in very quick time. exc-
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8/20/2005 - cassetta wrote: 90 Points
Dark, dark ruby. Perfumed nose. Rich, concentrated and very fruity. The spirit is almost fully integrated. Still a few years from maturity. Little bit of a bite on the finish. Nice Port but not as good as others from the vintage.
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7/22/2005 - jwwinec wrote:
Bad bottle... Intense VA on the nose, flat pallette.
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6/5/2005 - dd wrote:
awesome still has time, to bad its my last bottle
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5/17/2005 - MRichman wrote:
1985 Bordeaux Horizontal (Bouley, NYC): Nutty, smoky. Not as big as Fonseca but very complex. Wide. Excellent.
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5/14/2005 - futronic wrote: 85 Points
From 750mL. Light-medium garnet colour to rose rim. Aromas of acetate, cinnamon, cardamom, candied fruit. Full-bodied, sweet, with replays from nose. Quite present VA on the palate with candied fruit. Moderate finish, 30s.
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5/1/2005 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
VERY nice. 5/05
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2/15/2005 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Much better showing than the last time I had it. Just starting to show some secondary dried fruit flavors from half bottle. Still rich and powerful. Will age well.
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12/31/2004 - ErikK wrote: 92 Points
2004/2005 New Years: Cork looked ugly with mold on the top. The wine, on the other hand, looked as youthful as a 2000 vintage port. No bricking or browning on the edges, only deep garnet with a touch of clear on the edges. The fruit has settled a bit but the structure was still there with the acid leading to a good level of tannin. I can't believe how young this is showing, especially for a .375. A very nice wine but needing much more than the 2 hrs of air it had. Will try again sooner than later.
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12/20/2004 - xwine wrote:
Yowza! Terrific port. Had it a few nights ago at "Chez Kelli." A great time was had by all. This baby will go on for years. Won't touch my other bottles for quite awhile. No notes, and it was the last in a long line of bottles for the evening! Rich, concentrated, didn't notice much (if any) color fading at the edges; then again, my storage conditions are ideal -- the bottle was in beautiful shape.
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7/27/2004 - jamiekutch wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful. This wine has plenty of time still in it.. Great ripe fruit, alcohol on the finish. Integrated, - well made.
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7/3/2004 - timbuk2 wrote: 92 Points
Still had quite a bit of life, tasted a little young yet.
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5/14/2004 - bhardie wrote: 95 Points
Fortieth Birthday - Wonderful! Still in terrific shape. Getting a bit golden around the edge.
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2/10/2004 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Consumed at the Marine Room with John and Royce Campbell (ordered from the wine list). Similar impression to 11/3/02 and 1/26/03.
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12/6/2003 - HamishR wrote: 90 Points
Deep colour, fine nose, some grip and long finish. still young.
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1/26/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Again tasted at the home of Amy Weinberg, this time at a Superbowl wine and food extravaganza. Bottle brought from the personal cellar of Ann Humphreville. Similar impression to 11/3/02.
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11/3/2002 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at the home of Amy Weinberg. Bottle brought from the personal cellar of Mike Christensen. Bright disc. Medium ruby with red rim. Clean nose, showing intense plum, prune, spice and red cherry. Full-bodied on the palate, quite sweet, with ample supple tannins and similar flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish showing a nice closing note of black pepper. This port appears to be just entering its drinking window.
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4/3/2001 - Double-A Likes this wine: 90 Points
Figs, leather, dried cherries, currants and mocha on the nose. Full, sweet and still hot. Long, nutty cherry fruit finish.
4/5
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12/7/1996 - mdefreitas wrote: 90 Points
Good..., but great? Very powerful yet silky tannins. The predominant flavor component is licorice. Where is the sweetness that is supposedly the trademark of Graham? I'll let it age more and see if it gets better. It could be that I had palate fatigue... i had the whole half bottle in a single sitting.
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