Graham’s 2011 Vintage Port
Quinta dos Malvedos is the leading wine in this Graham’s Vintage Port, as it has been since 1890. Contributing 35% of the final blend, the Malvedos wines give floral characteristics of eucalyptus and mint, with soft violet overtones. On the taste, Malvedos gives cassis, mulberry and blackberries, all at perfect ripeness, balanced by well-structured tannins. The Malvedos wines are always rich and very ripe, the result of its predominantly south-facing aspect.
Quinta do Tua, with its very old terraced vines that face west, gives tremendous concentration, texture and flavours of black cherries (16% of final blend). Two kilometres downriver, Quinta da Vila Velha (18%) also faces west and brings intense purple-black wines with notes of esteva (rockrose) and violets and flavors of black chocolate. Since the early 20th century, the great Rio Torto vineyard Quinta das Lages has been used to make Graham’s Vintage Ports. Lages brings elegant complexity, concentration and fine violet aromas to the Graham’s 2011 (12%).
Finally, the family has chosen some wines from the very low-yielding and north-facing Quinta do Vale de Malhadas (19%) in the Douro Superior to give sinewy tannins and some fine coffee flavors. The Malhadas wines, the family believes, will contribute to the longevity of the Graham’s 2011, with its firm tannins and concentrated flavours.
All the component wines have been vinified in lagar, and the final blend by varietal is 40% Touriga Nacional, 31% Touriga Franca, 23% Vinha Velha (old mixed vineyards), and 6% Sousão.
The 2011 Vintage Port has been heralded as likely to mature into one of the greatest Vintages of either this or last century. It is already a complex wine of incredible intensity. It appears purple-black at the rim with aromas of blue violets, black China tea and ripe red fruit. On the palate, the powerful fruit merges into flavours of bitter dark chocolate with finely balanced acidity and tannins. This Vintage will age exceptionally well.
Reviews
...beguiling scents of blackberry, wild hedgerow, tobacco and cloves. Straight-laced, very well-defined and compelling, the palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and supremely well-judged acidity. It is utterly harmonious, with a pure core of ripe black cherries, damson, marmalade, clove and spices, and the finish lingers long in the mouth.
This offers a decadently fruity aroma, with peppery accents to the cherry, raspberry and dark currant flavors that are lithe and juicy. Grippy tannins grace the mocha- and chocolate-infused finish. Best from 2025 through 2055. 7,000 cases made. — KM
CELLAR SELECTION - Deliciously sweet and perfumed, its powerful plum fruit flavors make this wine already accessible. In the background are the tannins—solid and concentrated—and the acidity, creating a nervous tension that confirms the wine's aging potential. Hold for many years
It’s a sweet blueberry crush of flavor, satisfying in its depths of firm, saturated tannins. The flavors open and expand, lasting with a sense of purity and near perfect balance. Graham’s is largely a Cima Corgo Port, with half of it coming from the north bank of the Douro at Malvedos and Tua, east of Pinhão, and another 18 percent from just across the river at Vila Velha.