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

This was never a great Graham, but it's outstanding quality nonetheless. Medium ruby-red. Aromas of milk chocolate, plum, mint and violet. Full-bodied, with medium sweetness and lots of berry and cherry fruit. Very fruity and fresh. Long and lively. Delicious now, but will improve. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Drink now through 2018. — JS

This wine is going through a dumb period at the moment [writing in 1990].  It is closed and not giving much on the palate.  It is still a big, hard and tightly knit wine.  Deep purple-ruby with intense floral, cassis and prune aromas, full-bodied, with plenty of fruit and extremely hard tannins. Built for ageing.

TOP 100 WINES OF THE YEAR - Charles Symington created one of the most compelling Ports in the history of Graham’s...It’s an olfactory hallucination of Douro Superior sweetness in the pure minor key of Malvedos—like sour black cherries amplified and deepened into an identifiable perfume, the tartness of the fruit and the schist of the tannins layering in a resonant chord. It tastes as if the fruit of the Douro’s olive trees, orange trees and deep-rooted mix of vines have merged into a form of energy, with an impeccable balance that should sustain it for fifty years or longer.

The aromas here are amazing: crushed blueberries and raspberries with wet earth and dried flower. Orange blossom. Tar and stone. Full-bodied, very sweet but the powerful and fine-grained tannins balance the wine out. Tannins and fruit envelop your mouth with each sip. 

The depth and muscle are astonishing, and with this exuberant property, it's certain that the fruit will come out to play in time...this powerful 2017 has endless potential. It is the one to bet on. In a year with many brilliant wines, this still has to be on the shortlist for "Wine of the Vintage." 

It has magnificent colour and an extraordinary nose, lifted and powerfully ripe with glorious overlying floral aromas. It has succulent berry fruit and massive concentration in the mouth – magnificent, the quintessence of the finest Douro fruit. Powerful, muscular tannins stack up to a broad and ripe finish, leaving a mouth watering, almost Burgundian, freshness that seems to be one of the hallmarks of the best wines in this vintage. Outstanding.

Packed with juicy, bramble-laced black currant, açaí berry and fig notes, this features the vivid fruit and energy of the vintage. Graphite and tar flavors score the finish, giving this terrific cut and extra drive. Seriously long, with the fruit staying very persistent. This is built for the long haul and has a bit of a regal feel.

CELLAR SELECTION - Rich tannins are balanced by the ripe blackberry fruits in this beautifully layered wine. Its acidity shines through enough for the intensely structured fruit and tannins to promise great aging potential.

CELLAR SELECTION - A superbly intense wine of great concentration, this has a generous structure and abundant ripe-fruit tones. Its tannins are fully intact, promising an immensely long aging period. It's rich, but also fresh in acidity and juicy black-fruit flavors.

Lush and captivating in feel, with a velvety flow to the mix of plum, blackberry, boysenberry and açaí berry compote flavors. A bold streak of licorice runs through the finish, underscored by a brambly note that imparts balance. A stunning display of fruit.

When nearer to bottling last year, this was gloriously aromatic, wonderfully fresh and also quite powerful. The only thing that has changed is that it has also fleshed out a bit in the bottle, showing a bit more stuffing in the mid-palate...the intensity of flavor and the wonderful aromatics compensate. Those features were always what made this special.

Once opened, the wine needs time to find its footing. Over the course of hours and days, the flavors lengthen, their youthful compression and layered intensity carrying a direct message from the schist. Meanwhile, the fruit itself is delicious and grand, with floral notes of beeswax adding to its depth.

Extremely vinous and aromatic with flowers and dark berries. Herbal and tobacco undertones. This is very tight and chewy, showcasing so much grape-skin character character. So phenolic yet not roughly tannic. Unique. Try in 2022.

A site-specific wine from three small plots of north-facing terraced vineyards on the Malvedos estate: wonderfully aromatic (high percentage of Touriga Nacional) with classic floral character, soft, rich and opulent with broad structured tannins building and leading to a ripe, complete finish. Tiny yields. 400 cases produced.

Surprisingly dense—it has fleshed out—this doesn't surprise in its pure power or aromatics. As it sat in the bottle, it became more about muscle and density. It is a long way from ready, but it is round enough to be somewhat approachable. I'd really recommend that you hold this at least another decade, however, even if it will theoretically be approachable younger.

Flattering, with a gorgeous and seductive, showy display of warm plum sauce, blueberry reduction and chocolate-covered acaí berry flavors rushing forth. Light milk chocolate and black licorice notes check in through the finish, which is juicy and open in feel.

This second release of Stone Terraces combines the energy of its powerful tannins with the voluptuous richness Malvedos can give in the best years. It has the green esteva note of great young Porto—a scent close to Thai basil—and has a purity to the structure that makes it feel grand.

CELLAR SELECTION - An elegant wine with beautifully integrated tannins, this is concentrated as well as fruity. Its structure and blackberry fruits are sweet and ripe. The perfumes of this wine leave a stylish, fragrant aftertaste.

This is a single vineyard port from the farm of Quinta do Malvedos. Smells like ink with a dark and earth aroma. Spicy. Dried flowers. Full and rich with a slightly drier edge to this. Nice finish with dusty tannins. A beauty already. 400 cases made. This really grows on you. Long finish. Drink in 2023.

It has startling clarity and minerality on the nose, one of those young Ports where the spirit is so pure that it is difficult to distinguish from an unfortified wine! The palate is silky smooth and slightly honeyed on the entry, leading to a very harmonious, svelte, sensual Vintage Port with copious pure blackberry, cassis and mineral notes that build wonderfully towards the finish. This is captivating.

Big, rich and powerful, with vibrant kirsch, red plum and raspberry tart flavors that are fresh and juicy. The peppery finish glides easily off the tongue, revealing notes of milk chocolate. A chocolate character defines the finish, offering plenty of grip. Best from 2025 through 2060. 250 cases made.  –KM

CELLAR SELECTION - A very aromatic wine, with violet perfumes, this is attractive and obviously ageworthy. The wine has the richness and tannic structure necessary, while showing an open, accessible character. The acidity shows strongly at the end. Produced from old vineyards at Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos, it has magnificent long-term potential.

It has the sweet fruit dimensions of a classic Graham’s vintage, carrying a vast store of tannins as if they were the honey of crushed rock. Its tangy wild fruit character lights up the finish, offering a taste of blueberry, fruitcake and spice even as the wine maintains black, impenetrable depths.

CELLAR SELECTION
Fine and ripe, this is a sweet—while also complex—wine from Graham's flagship estate. Its tannins lead easily to ripe flavors of black plum and berry juice, resulting in a wine that is firm, full bodied, fruity and generous. 

Luscious in the middle, as if a deep canyon of tropical chocolate divided the black plum and esteva scents from the schist of the tannins. This is still primary and tight, the structure sleek, the flavors succulent. Watch for it on release around 2016.

The Symington family elected to bottle just 3,900 of a possible 15,000 of the Quinta dos Malvedos, equivalent to 261 pipes. It has a lucid purple hue with thick tears running down the side of the glass. The nose is very intense, almost attacking the senses with macerated black cherries, creme de cassis and iodine, displaying good delineation and attractive floral notes. The palate has a sweet entry with a touch of spice and ginger, fanning out beautifully across the palate with silky smooth texture. The finish is showing a little alcohol but it remains a very luscious, almost nubile single quinta and is jam-packed full of fruit.

Decanter Gold - An expressively fruity wine with lovely spiced blackberrry, coffee, and cocoa scents, a dark chocholate concentration and some scondary smoky characteristics. The palate is very ripe, with powerful sweet berry fruit, kirsch liqueur. 

CELLAR SELECTION

Quinta dos Malvedos is Graham's flagship vineyards. This single quinta vintage, made in a year when no general vintage was declared, shows the great structure and fine perfumes that comes from this privileged site. Rich in plummy black fruits, powered still by tannins, the wine is approaching maturity. Drink now, although it will age for many years.

This late release is in a good place right now, with gently mulled plum, blackberry and fig fruit flavors infused with singed anise, tobacco and alder notes. Offers a light ganache coating on the finish, which has a smoldering feel. Drink now through 2025. 3,000 cases made.  –JM

The 2004 Quinta dos Malvedos comes in at 107 grams per liter of residual sugar. It is a big mouthful, gorgeous from the get-go, young, exuberant and rather delicious...its rich and full-bodied feel may give it an edge this year, at least now...it should keep well as it does have nice support underneath the fruit.

Rich and powerful, with plenty of grip to the well-spiced flavors of blackberry, dried blueberry and dark plum. Dense and juicy midpalate, opening up with pepper and chocolate notes on the finish. Drink now through 2030. 3,000 cases made.  –KM

...a vibrant, sunny wine that feels completely integrated between fruit and schist. There’s clarity and purity to the red berry fruit, which parallels the length and breadth of the peppery tannins.

Mature-tasting, offering a supple array of sandalwood, dried cherry and boysenberry flavors, flanked by notes of Asian spice. The creamy finish is long and lush. Drink now through 2020.   –KM