G85: opened 19:30 previous day, decanted 07:30 that morning. glorious red, 50% opaque. Showed very well, mid weight, with lots of lovely red fruit. Not huge. Junior to the TFP’s big-two 1985s. Nonetheless, I liked this a lot.
Graham 1985. Dark red with some maturity in the tone; 70% opaque. Attractive nose, no more mature than the 1983 but still bright and attractive. Sweet on the palate with honeyed fruit. Very smooth, very ripe fruit with a good grip and a little menthol heat. Some heat on the finish before the bramble fruit appears. Reserved, but delicious. 90/100. Audouzed at 19.30, double decanted at 07.30 and tasted at 20.00.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.
2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
G85. Medium to medium light red with garnet overtones - seems lighter than it should be. Slightly sour nose that displays predominantly red fruit. Luckily it tastes better than it looks and smells, but this still does not seem like a proper bottle. Smooth, ripe red fruit backed up by ripe purple fruit to give it some depth. 94 points. And yes, that's an "off" bottle - I would expect these to be at least 95 points with 97 not out of the question. These usually sing for me.