It’s a very deep blue-black colour with an expressive, super-ripe nose of plum, mint and bergamot which springs from the glass. The palate is rich, velvety and voluptuous in typical Graham’s style. The initial richness makes the tannins, which show up on the ripe, broad, mouth watering finish. Wonderful purity and definition. A real wow of a wine!

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.

One of the more aromatic ports here, this is laced with cistus and eucalyptus. Lush in texture and concentrated, it was actually showing well at the time of this tasting—notwithstanding some power and pop. The more it aired out, though, the more power it showed. Even so, this remains a rather refined and suave Graham's. I'd call it subtly sexy.

The wine is packed with glorious black fruits that have immense backing tannins. It has a succulent edge of juicy acidity that sears the tannins and promises a great future.

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.

This has the plump sweetness of a Graham’s vintage, teeming with black fruit and saturated with tannins as chewy as the thick black skins of blueberries. Underneath the smoky oak tannins, there’s a gentle rose scent that hints at the wine’s development ahead. 

Extremely complex aromas that show the classic Graham character of black-fruit marmalade and burnt oranges. Follows through to a full body with great grip at the finish. Lightly sweet. Chewy and powerful. Such a focus at the end.

This offers a distilled plum and boysenberry essence, with a racy feel, as spearmint and graphite notes drive through. As the finish kicks in, this turns toward the dark side, with ganache, charcoal and tar elements. Has the showy ripeness of the vintage but is backed by a decidedly dry feel on the finish, imparting a sense of precision despite the heft. Best from 2030 through 2055. 6,325 cases made, 3,000 cases imported.  –JM

Super-ripe with an expressive plum and dark chocolate aroma. Rich opulence backed by dark chocolate intensity and spicy tannic grip – big and bold on the finish. Voluptuous with fabulous richness, big and bold on the finish. This is one for the long haul but it’s already very impressive.

CELLAR SELECTION - This finely structured wine is powered by fine tannins and rich fruits. A touch of acidity comes through the rich berry flavors and the concentration of the dark tannins. This wine will certainly age, don't drink before 2028.

Tight on the finish, aromatic and very flavorful, this actually opens rather well and shows off its lovely fruit. The Dow's will be approachable a bit earlier, perhaps, and this may reward aging even more. As always, Graham's is wonderfully delicious. That's one hallmark of the house. I'm not sure this is a truly great Graham's, but at the moment, it is enticing, with plenty of potential for improvement.

Once it opens, it’s voluptuous, almost overly sweet at first, but the tart edges of the fruit and the licorice-scented tannins suggest the elegance that will come with time. It grows silky with air, seeming to transfer the sweetness from the fruit to the tannins, which take on a caramelized walnut flavor. A beautiful vintage of Graham’s, this has the integration and depth of flavor to age for decades.

...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.

A candidate for wine of the vintage, the 2007 Graham’s Vintage Port is complete in every way. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up an ethereal perfume of smoke, mineral, Asian spices, incense, an amalgam of ripe black fruits, and a hint of chocolate in the background. This leads to a dense, super-rich, plush, opulent wine that hides its structure under all the fruit. Vibrant, impeccably balanced, and exceptionally lengthy.

A classic vintage of Graham's, the cool, balanced fruitiness of 2007 plays right into the style of the house. This is harmonious and powerful, with pure fresh fruit that bursts in the mouth then lasts, sustained, as the flavors of the Douro's ancient varieties cascade for minutes in fascinating interplay and detail. As luscious as it may be, the fruit still has red tones, along with a sensual texture. The schist tannins are muscular, sculpted into soft curves, Apollonian in their power.

Rich and chewy, with masses of blueberry, blackberry and raisin character. Full-bodied and very sweet, with a long, powerful finish. Big and juicy, with ultraripe fruit. Racy and full of class. Like cashmere in texture. Best after 2018. 6,000 cases made.  –JS

CELLAR SELECTION - A Port for aging, as you would expect from Graham's. The wine is dry, firm, textured, solid and dense. The fruit flavors of fresh cranberry and black currant are a supporting act at this stage. Classic vintage.

An expansive chord of mineral and black fruit flavor, this vintage of Graham's is all-enveloping in its sheer power. The tannins and the fruit strike a balance with dense, floral, purple-black flavors over crushed stone. That schisty grip of the tannin ends up feeling supple and curvaceous, defining the boundaries of the fruit rather than restricting it. The best vintage of Graham's in recent memory.

This is a great Port, from a great brand. It is packed with solid, structured, rich and intense black fruit flavors. Its tannins show considerable aging potential. It is a big, ripe wine, balanced by a long, lingering dark aftertaste.

Violets, roses, spices, and candied dark fruits emanate from the glass of the murky black/purple colored 2003 Graham Vintage Port.  Bold, full-bodied, and expansive, the Graham benefited the most from extensive contact with air of all the 2003s tasted for this report. This opulently jammy wine assaults the palate with powerful yet soft layers of oily, candied red fruits as well as notes of tar and hints of mocha. A highly concentrated effort, it is creamy textured, suave, and reveals an admirably long finish filled with additional layers of dark fruits intermingled with spices.

Loads of tar and blackberry aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate, with medium sweetness, big, velvety tannins and a long finish. A big, juicy wine. Best after 2015. 8,500 cases made.  –JS

This is the greatest young Vintage Port from Graham I have ever tasted, and perhaps it will be better in the long term than the legendary 1948. It smells like freshly picked orchids, with loads of ripe, clean fruit and then turns full-bodied, medium-sweet and very powerful in the mouth with big velvety tannins. It lasts for minutes on your palate. There’s great balance and class to this young Vintage port.

Grapy, unformed, black raspberry liqueur and licorice-infused cassis notes leap from the glass of this opaque purple-colored wine. Sweet, plush, rich, and accessible, it is a forward, lush, concentrated effort that should drink well for two decades. While not one of Graham's most profound ports, it should evolve rapidly, providing immense crowd appeal.

Still a bit compact, as the core of warm steeped fig, blackberry and black currant fruit hasn’t stretched out fully yet. However, there’s so much warm toffee, toasted peanut and singed alder coursing through that this is a fun drink now. A big, gutsy style. Should open up fully with a bit more time. Best from 2020 through 2035. 10,000 cases made

Blackberries, licorice, and melted asphalt stand out in this full-bodied, beautifully made vintage port's moderately intense bouquet. It is not one of the great Graham's ports, and is less sweet than normal, but it is full-bodied, rich, concentrated, and impressive. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025.

In a port tasting, tasting Graham's is almost like tasting a big, rich, succulent Merlot after a group of blockbuster, tannic Cabernets. Sweeter and more obvious than many ports, the opaque purple-colored 1994 is fruity, powerful, and rich, with an addictive hedonistic quality. It will be ready to drink in 8-10 years and keep for up to 30. As always, this is a showy, flamboyant port that has the advantage of being slightly sweeter than other 1994s. A great Graham's. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2035.

A big, tough, young vintage Port that's closed and difficult to taste. Emits lovely aromas of chocolate, berry and plum, and is full-bodied with lots of sweet, fruit flavors and masses of velvety tannins. Long, sweet finish.

Graham's 1991 Vintage Port gets my nod as the port of the vintage. While keeping in mind that Graham's aims for a sweeter-styled port, there is no doubting the opaque purple/black color, or the explosive nose of black fruits, licorice, spring flowers, and tar. Thick and full-bodied, with a satiny texture and a blockbuster, alcoholic finish, this is a top-notch vintage port.

Lovely plum and coffee aromas open to a full-bodied palate, with sweet, decadent fruit. Velvety, with a long finish. Lots going on. '91/'92 Port retrospective. Best after 2007.   –JS

Dark color, with intense aromas of blackberry, licorice and hints of flowers. Full-bodied, lightly sweet, with superrefined tannins. Long and caressing. Very youthful. Will improve for a long time. This is really excellent. Always has been. Just starting to come around. '77/'85/'97 blind Port retrospective. Drink now. — JS

Graham is the undisputed star and kingpin of the 1985 vintage ports. Yes, it is made in a sweeter style than the other ports, but it is a fabulous wine because of a dazzling level of black-cherry fruit, an enormous structure, and staggering depth, dimension, and length.

Aromas of violets, dried fruits and figs. Full body, medium sweet, beautiful tannins and length. Seems to be growing in depth and intensity. Beautiful now. I love the tannin tension to this. Drink and enjoy.