DECANTER GOLD - Ripe and opulent plummy fruit on the nose, big and bold. Well extracted deep fruits on the palate framed by well balanced tannins and freshness.
The wine has deeper color and grip bright plum and fig richness, dark, sweet tannin.
This is the latest in a series of special releases under the Six Grapes label. It comes from Graham's south-facing vineyards on the Douro north bank. The wine is of vintage Port quality—rich, but with some fine tannins. The jammy red fruits are lifted by acidity and by the fine perfumed character.
Bold, with exuberant blueberry and açai berry paste flavors leading the way, backed by blackberry cobbler, chocolate and melted licorice notes. Flirts with the heady side but a bolt of graphite through the finish keeps this racy. A solid, gutsy drink now, or you could tame this with a bit of cellaring.
The structure is excellent—it has moderate tannins, is tight on opening and responds a bit to warmth and aeration...The intensity of flavor and the color are both impressive as well. The aromatics are enticing, and the finish is special for a Ruby Reserva.
Deep dark-fruited character with crushed oranges, flowers and wet stone character. Full and rich but crunchy with fresh juiciness to it. Wide and compact tannins, yet fine and textured and very long. Firm and structured. Sweet and fruit-forward. A special edition ruby, made with old vines. It’s a crusted port! Mostly 2020 and 2019. Unfined and not filtered. Drink or hold.
Packs a pretty good core altogether, with bramble-laced açaí berry, boysenberry and dark plum fruit notes working nicely with anise and fruitcake flavors. The finish shows sneaky length and is underscored by a subtle tug of earth. Yummy stuff. Drink now through 2025. 1,000 cases made, 600 cases imported.
- James Molesworth
A bestseller among LBVs, the 2018 is in a lighter, more eco-friendly bottle. Gently floral, softly scented yet quite restrained on the nose. Opulent plum and berry fruit initially in true Graham’s style, the palate brushed by soft, ripe tannins leaving a fresh, lithe, slightly grippy finish. Accessible and well balanced.
An open-knit red, with a mix of steeped loganberry and açaí notes backed by Black Forest cake and mocha notes. A flash of cedar underlines the finish. Drink now through 2029.
The Port, with its luscious texture and black fruits, is impressive and dense. Black fruits are given richness and spice by the spirit and the raisin flavors. With its light structure, it is ready to drink
Inviting, with plum cake and steeped raisin and plum notes laced with licorice snap and fruitcake accents. There's a solid spine for support, but this is approachable now. Try decanting or even giving a touch more time in the cellar.
Top 100 Value Wines
The 2017 Late Bottled Vintage Port is a field blend bottled in 2022 with a bar-top cork and 113 grams per liter of residual sugar after six years in cask. (There will be no 2016 Graham's LBV.) Elegant in the mid-palate (unlike its sibling, the Dow's), this also has good structure, but it is a much better balanced wine. The big fruit of this fine vintage shines through, rendering this rather delicious. This has persistence and focus, plus all that tasty fruit. You can't go wrong.
Luscious while also structured, this balanced Port is rich and fruity, showing the proper signs of wood aging. While the wine has sweetness on the outside, there is a drier core that gives it sophistication and immediate drinkability.
This has all of those Graham's trademarks, including a bit of extra sugar at the end. It is elegant and suave, with a big aromatic hit of eucalyptus that makes it invigorating too. Then it is typically Graham's—meaning sweet and delicious. This is nuanced and very fine, an LBV with a bit of a distinction and a lot of everything.
This has a ripe and generous feel to its mix of flavors, with cassis, blackberry and fig preserves. The finish has a lively licorice snap note and underlying freshness. Drink now through 2028.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Perfumed and elegant, following the Graham house style, this is a balanced Port. It is poised between sweetness and a core of dryness both from tannins and restrained fruitiness. Being a Late Bottled Vintage, it can be drunk now, although it is likely it will be even better from 2021.
Largely from the producer's own Quinta dos Malvedos, the wine is elegant while also intensely rich. Its fine tannins, sweet black currant jelly flavors cut by acidity and touch of spirit in the background all give this wine great style and also the possibility of aging for a few more months.
Sleek in feel, with alluring red and black currant fruit infused with anise, black tea and mint notes. Stays fresh through the finish. Approachable, but a touch more cellaring will add some nuance.
A very pretty wood port with cherry, berry, walnut and chocolate aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied and very sweet with focus, density and length. Fruity, yet pleasantly earthy. Drink now and enjoy.
Date, fig and mulled plum fruit flavors form this broad and juicy core. Cinnamon, black tea and hazelnut notes fill in the background. Shows some power, with the cut and drive for balance.
EDITOR'S CHOICE - Powered with acidity and its firm structure, this is an intensely dry, concentrated, powerful wine. It certainly has wines in the blend that are older than 10 years, yet it is definitely a 10-Year Oldin style, as the fresh fruit to finish confirms.
DECANTER GOLD - Very inviting nose with depth, harmony and complexity. Nutty, caramel and dried fruit aromas. Great creamy texture with a long profound finish.
A gorgeous tawny with dried figs, caramel, dried raisins and coffee beans. Full-bodied, sweet and delicious. This shows such length and beauty. I love the crème caramel and cooked apple tart on the finish. Some pecan pie. Crazy.
Lovely, with date and persimmon notes that are melded seamlessly, picking up light bitter orange, ginger and green tea accents along the way. Echoes of sweet golden raisin and hazelnut linger on the finish, which is polished and long. A beauty.
This is a hugely dry, burnt style, very concentrated. The licorice and bitter coffee flavors are dense, layered and well balanced with the acidity. A serious wine that demands attention.