1985 Graham

Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
Forum rules
Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
Post Reply
User avatar
DRT
Fonseca 1966
Posts: 15779
Joined: 23:51 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Chesterfield, UK
Contact:

1985 Graham's vintage port

Post by DRT »

From a half bottle purchased recently from Seckford Wines

On Decanting
Huge blackcurrant smell when decanting from a well formed thick black crust. Nose is quite closed in the glass. Lovely dark red colour. Clear rim. Very, very thick in the mouth. Typically Graham's plummy fruit but with a distracting amount of heat. Hopefully that will blow off by the time I re-visit in about 8 hours time. Will post some photo's of this later.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
User avatar
DRT
Fonseca 1966
Posts: 15779
Joined: 23:51 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Chesterfield, UK
Contact:

Re: 1985 Graham's vintage port

Post by DRT »

Half bottle with a full-size label
Image

Back label
Image

Cork
Image

Sediment
Image

Decanter
Image

In the glass - the flash has made this look lighter than it really is
Image
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
User avatar
DRT
Fonseca 1966
Posts: 15779
Joined: 23:51 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Chesterfield, UK
Contact:

Re: 1985 Graham's vintage port

Post by DRT »

+8 Hours
Much darker in the glass than when decanted. Unless I am very much mistaken this has almost no smell whatsoever :shock:

Thick, chewy and delicious mouthfeel. Lots of big black fruits and as smooth as silk. The heat from earlier has all but vanished. The finish is exceptionally long and fruity. My cheeks are running but the underside of my tongue and inside of my lips are very dry from the huge tannins that are still holding this wine together. This has many years to go before hitting it's peak but is absolutely delicious now.

Now that I have tasted it and given it another swirl I am now detecting cherry on the nose.

Score: 8-9
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
User avatar
DRT
Fonseca 1966
Posts: 15779
Joined: 23:51 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Chesterfield, UK
Contact:

Re: 1985 Graham's vintage port

Post by DRT »

+30 Hours
Still delicious but now has some of that heat back. It is also struggling to overcome the italian spicy chicken I had for dinner earlier this evening :?
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
User avatar
jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
Posts: 23613
Joined: 15:03 Thu 21 Jun 2007
Location: London
Contact:

Re: 1985 Graham's vintage port

Post by jdaw1 »

This is a very odd and un-Derek-like tasting note. How did DRT manage to persuade a half bottle, a mere half!, to last 30 hours? In the dim and distant past this would have been believed impossible.
User avatar
DRT
Fonseca 1966
Posts: 15779
Joined: 23:51 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Chesterfield, UK
Contact:

Re: 1985 Graham's vintage port

Post by DRT »

jdaw1 wrote:This is a very odd and un-Derek-like tasting note. How did DRT manage to persuade a half bottle, a mere half!, to last 30 hours? In the dim and distant past this would have been believed impossible.
I always try to drink good-uns over an extended period. I cope by also having something else to drink open at the same time :wink:
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
User avatar
DRT
Fonseca 1966
Posts: 15779
Joined: 23:51 Wed 20 Jun 2007
Location: Chesterfield, UK
Contact:

Re: 1985 Graham's vintage port

Post by DRT »

+34 Hours
The final glass from my half bottle :cry:

My palate seems to have recovered from the spicy chicken and the harsher elements I was detecting earlier this evening have now gone. This is fabulous juice. I don't think it would be possible to have too much of it in your cellar.
"The first duty of Port is to be red"
Ernest H. Cockburn
Post Reply