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On Tuesday 14th May 2024, as arranged by Martin C., at the Boot & Flogger, some of the obvious suspects tasted a vertical of Graham.

Links:

• Review of the evening as a whole;
• Tasting notes:
  • 1942 Graham;
  • 1945 Graham;
  • 1948 Graham;
  • 1955 Graham;
  • 1960 Graham;
  • 1963 Graham;
  • 1966 Graham;
  • 1970 Graham;
  • 1975 Graham;
  • 1977 Graham;
  • 1980 Graham;
  • 1983 Graham;
  • 1985 Graham;
  • 1991 Graham;
  • 1994 Graham;
  • 1997 Graham;
  • 2000 Graham;
  • 2003 Graham;
• The placemats;
• Planning and arrangements.

A shade darker than the 1942. A hint of pontefract cake on the nose. Rich fruit. Lovely port. A point from me and a deserved second place on the night.

G45: red-brown, 30% opaque. Soft, and intensely spicy. In great balcen, but not long. Laterm retasted, it had become much better longer. This wine is 79 years old, and still showing impressively well.

Graham 1945, Oporto bottled in 1947. Double decanted at 10.15 and initially tasted 7 hours later.

Dark red-brown in colour, like a burnished copper; 50% opaque. Initially very limited on the nose, perhaps nothing more than being a little bit oxidised. Smooth and sweet on the palate with orange oil and big acidity. Menthol / eucalyptus show strongly on the pink bitter grapefruit aftertaste. On this showing a mere 82/100.

But a little less that 3 hours later the wine was very different with a beautiful nose, so full of fruit. The fruit comes through on the palate but will not be hurried, delivering only at the right pace when everything is properly considered. The late palate is an absolute crescendo of spiced, mature fruit which ultimately — with enough time in the calendar — gives a fabulous mouthful of wine. 95/100. Tasted 14-May-2024.

G45. Light strawberry with some red tones. Very clean/clear in the glass. Nose of faint Christmas spices, and... well, "old Port." Beautiful mouthfeel, smooth and almost creamy with a subtle richness to the fully mature red fruits. Only eclipsed by the 1948. 96 points.

35% opacity, brown-orange. Dusty nose, caramels. Full, rich, round entry. Slight bitterness after the eraly sweetness. Drying cherries. Lovely old port.