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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.

Provenance - from a 12bt owc purchased from WineOwners in May 2020. Previous bottles have been good.

As dark as any bottle present on the night. 100% opaque. Rich thick gooey port. As good a bottle of 1983 wine (of any variety) as it is possible to imagine. I gave it an HM.

G83: a sillier colour than the G80 — dark dark dark red, 90% opaque. Notes were becoming brief: very vey dry mid-palate, then faint ending.

Graham 1983. The darkest Port until the 1997. Dark red in colour with a narrow rim. Youthful dark fruit on the nose, sweet and ripe. Restrained entry; the fruit builds beautifully with lovely grip within the black cherry. Dark chocolate and dried blackcurrant. Fabulous blackcurrant finish with great length. Really rather good. 93/100. Opened and decanted at 13.30, returned to the bottle at 16.30, poured at 17.00 and tasted at 19.00.

G83. Dark red and garnet. Opaque in the center. Clean and clear raspberry and blackberry on the nose. Those carry to the palate, which also adds chocolate and mulberry. Still very youthful. I suspect these will rise above the 1985 in the future, though they've never been far behind for me. At this tasting? Tied - 94 points.

80% opcaity, deep dark dull red. Concentrated bramble on the nose. Smooth, blackcurrant, very faint tannin, dryness in the fruit. Nice, if a little one-dimensional.