Graham, Graham's Port 2017

The 2017 Graham’s Vintage Port was picked from August 28 at Malvedos, though production is one-third less than the previous year. Here the Touriga Franca was particularly early ripening. It has an expressive nose, a mélange of red and black fruit, fig jam, dates and touches of clove, aromatics that are very seductive if perhaps just missing the intellectual capacity of the Dow’s. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins, a gorgeous Graham’s with hints of espresso and cloves that tincture the multi-layered fruit that veers towards black rather than red towards the finish that fans out without a care in the world. This is perhaps one of the more flamboyant Vintage Ports that is likely to drink earlier than the Dow’s, yet that takes nothing away from what is a beautifully crafted Graham’s. Total production is 5,250 cases.

Wow! Amazing aromas of crushed blackberry and blueberry, stems and rose petal. Entrancing. Full-bodied, very tight and powerful with ultra-fine tannins. Intense richness of crushed berries, chocolate, hazelnut and coffee. 5,250 cases. Try after 2026.

Lush and inviting, with waves of cassis, melted red licorice, plum preserves and boysenberry reduction coursing through, carried by a velvety structure that lets this flow wonderfully. Flashes of apple wood and tar score the finish, which ends with authoritative cut. This is serious. Best from 2035 through 2055. 5,250 cases made, 937 cases imported. — JM

The 2017 Vintage Port is a blend of 35% Touriga Nacional, 47% Touriga Franca and various others, including a blend from old vines. It comes in with 113 grams of residual sugar. It was bottled about a month before this tasting, but the just-bottled sample was not really ready. This is a pre-bottling sample instead. 2027 - 2070

Deep saturated purple in colour. The nose is heady, rich and powerful in black fruit but also nuanced with hifh toned bloog orange and dried flowers. Succulent, rich and round on the palate, this is layered and powerful with christmas cake, cinnamon, damson and blackberry. This is robust but very refined, the sweetness rounding the palate rather than dominating the fruit through to a very long finish.

Based on Touriga Franca from south facing slopes at Quinta dos Malvedos with Touriga Nacional from quintas Vila Velha and Vale de Mealhadas (both predominantly north facing) topped out with fruit from old vines at Quinta da Tua and 10% Sousão: very deep blue-black colour: super ripe on the nose, plum, mint and bergamot spring from the glass; rich, velvety and voluptuous in typical Graham’s style (3.9 Baumé), the initial richness makes the tannins which show up on the long, ripe broad, fresh, mouthwatering finish. 5,250 cases declared.