1985 Graham

[Alex Bridgeman]

Double decanted 12 hours before serving. Deep red in colour, similar in intensity to a 2005 Napa Cab that was next to it but without the purple tinge.

The nose was sweet and inviting and full of prunes. Some where picking up alcohol, but that wasn't apparent to me.

Very sweet and thick texture in the mouth. Lots of the prunes that could be smelled plus some extra red fruits like a clear streak of strawberry juice. The sweetness was nicely offset by some surprisingly vigorous tannins that dried the cheeks a little while coating the tongue in fruit syrup. The aftertaste was generous but not as long as I would have expected for a Graham's vintage port.

This was an enjoyable bottle of port that drank very easily but was not in the "special" class that VP can still achieve. A little above average and will be better in 10 years. 5/6 or 89/100. Drunk 13/2/08.