1948 Graham

[Alex Bridgeman]

17½ hours double-decanted.

A bottle bought at auction and described in the catalogue as "Croft 1945". When the cork was pulled the wine was clearly not Croft 1945! Orange centre, deeply evolved colour, distinct orange rim - a wine which looks elderly. A nose of quince, honey, a touch of burnt rubber and some eucalyptus notes. In the mouth the initial impact is sweet but balanced with an acidic structure. Lots of tertiary caramel and burnt sugar flavours, a nice "brown sugar" complexity and an occasional bitterness like is found in walnut skins. The aftertaste is very quiet, lingers a while but then goes sooner than I would have hoped. A little above the average for drinking today and a port that I would anticipate will decline with grace over the next 10 years. 6/5 or 90/100.