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Opened last night and continued this evening.

Darker than I remember but with a clear and brownish meniscus. Very fragrant when first opened, smelling of old bookshops and plum skins. A sense of tightness on the nose, mostly fruit and some spice but lacking the spirit which I have noted before. At about four hours open the palate begins to uncoil, first with cranberries then softer, bruised fruit. Something taut and thrilling at the centre, in this regard rather like the 77 Fonseca. A wine that spoke to me.

The following evening it seems a little thicker and sweeter, but may have lost a little on the length. Not a archetypal Graham but nonetheless compelling.

As an aside it also made me think of Tom's theory of ports having a sulk aged thirty. I remember this being a dusty old stick which seemed to be tiring around the thirty year mark, it seems to have woken up now. Drink it or keep it for another decade, maybe two or three.

Thank you for the note. It is nice to see the 1977 Graham starting to strut!

griff wrote:Thank you for the note. It is nice to see the 1977 Graham starting to strut!

A pleasure, certainly a pleasure to drink. I have been starved of port lately which imparted an enthusiasm for my drinking reflected in the note. My stash of this port has been a bit variable, I think this is due to previous storage. So I hope all yours are like this one, rather than the dusty old stick variety.

This Port has a history of being, well, very un-Graham-like. It was always excessively spirity and thin compared to all other Graham's. In recent years that spirit has finally subsided a bit. Allowing it to be far more balanced that it had at any other time. While it's much better than 15 years ago, it will be a far faster maturing Graham's.

Andy Velebil wrote:This Port has a history of being, well, very un-Graham-like. It was always excessively spirity and thin compared to all other Graham's. In recent years that spirit has finally subsided a bit. Allowing it to be far more balanced that it had at any other time. While it's much better than 15 years ago, it will be a far faster maturing Graham's.

I agree with much of what you say apart from it being faster maturing. I know what you mean but this bottle seemed to have the legs to go for a long time. Don't write it off just yet.

While I have been concerned about the tenor of the palate, I have not been concerned about longevity. Does a vintage port need to exclusively demonstrate 'stuffing' to cellar?

griff wrote:While I have been concerned about the tenor of the palate, I have not been concerned about longevity. Does a vintage port need to exclusively demonstrate 'stuffing' to cellar?

Rem acu tetegistis! Indeed not, unfathomable as it may sound I am glad I have a few bottles of the Fonseca 83 to mix in with the 85s, and while the Graham 77 is no behemoth it is well worth cellaring. The Parkerisation of port is a creeping affliction. (Written by someone drinking a 15% Malbec ).