[The last similar tasting of Graham's Malvedos took place in 1991 at the Naval and Military Club (the old 'in and out') in London and included a vertical of Graham's Vintage Port from 1927 - 1985. Where relevant I have posted my abridged tasting notes for the same wine in square brackets.]  

Graham 1955 *****

 Good, mid-deed colour, amber rim, wonderful nose, still remarkably fresh and rose scented, classic; very rich opulent style (3.6 baumé), milk chocolate intensity, soft, supple and sweet, seemingly drier on the finish bitter-sweet length. Very good now, this wine will go on and on. 19

[Good colour, wild berry fruit aromas, sweet cherry fruit and a lovely long fresh finish] 

 Graham’s Malvedos 1957 ** / ***

Very good colour, brick red and amber rim, slightly earthy aromas initially, smoky, quite withdrawn; bitter-sweet fruit and touch of dark chocolate concentration, still with plenty of life but skinny and one dimensional after the 1955 14.5

Graham’s Malvedos 1958 *** / ****

 Quite pale and pinkish in colour; still with a bloom of youth on the nose, very pretty, gentle, fragrant and floral but without much richness or intensity; more powerful on the palate, lovely full, gentle richness and still quite fresh on the finish. 16.5

Graham’s Malvedos 1962 ***

 Mid deep colour, browning rim; soft, creamy aromas, still alive if a bit simple, a touch of cigar box emerging; soft, sweet, supple strawberry fruit, backed lovely peppery, dry tannins and a dry finish. 16

 [Turning tawny, drying out but firm. spicy characater lingering on finish] 

Graham’s Malvedos 1964 ***

 Mid-deep youthful centre, thin brown rim; attractive roasted aromas characteristic of a hot vintage, toasted, dusty, opening up to reveal some floral scent; soft, fleshy, some dark chocolate intensity, lovely grip, leading to a bitter-sweet finish, rather short but still very much alive. 16

 [Minty fruit remaining on the nose, soft minty flavours and a touch of liquorice on the finish] 

Graham’s Malvedos 1965 ****

 Good mid-deep colour, thin brown rim; quite dense, opulent with scent emerging, suggests this wine may have more to give; rich, opulent and mouthfilling, lovely sweet, spicy fruit with good tannic grip, figs and prunes on the finish. 17

 [Pale colour, a rather casky smell, dry intially with a delicate mint and cherry-fruit finish]

Graham 1966 *****

 Very good youthful colour, still dark garnet and only just beginning to brown on the rim; dense, solid, foursquare aromas, fine, rich and scented with lots more to give; similarly dense and rich on the palate, remarkably youthful, wonderful multi-dimensional bitter chocolate fruit, solid backbone, lovely structure and ripe tannins. Goes on and on in the mouth. UK bottled. 19.5

 [Dark, black centre, closed, tight-knit on the nose, solid berry and dark chocolate flavours, very fine]

Graham’s Malvedos 1968

 Good mid-deep, youthful hue, thin brown rim; smell of brown sugar, medicinal but not especially scented or aromatic; moderately sweet and rich but quite hard by comparison with most wines so far. Stops short. From a wet vintage. The last Malvedos until 1976. 

[Turning pale tawny in colour, drying up on the nose and palate, delicate finish] 

Graham 1970 *****

 Mid-deep centre, thin browning rim; rich, dense, elegant, scented, lovely opulence with more to give; rich, sweet, gripping dark chocolate and medicinal cherry fruit, wonderful length with flesh and breadth. Tight knit and very harmonious 19

 [Dark, youthful colour, closed, touch of coffee bean on the nose, quite sweet, backed up by solid liquorice characater. Very fine.]  

Graham’s Malvedos 1976 

 Mid-deep pinkish brick red colour; musty, possibly corked, tastes musty and slightly corked though underneath is some soft, sweet fruit and good length. No mark

 [Open minty aromas and flavours, good balance and a lovely fresh finish] 

Graham’s Malvedos 1978 

 Good mid-deep colour, pinkish rim; sadly another musty, corky wine with firm fruit underlying. No mark

 [Still closed up, tight knit on the nose, firm minty fruit with good grip on the finish] 

Graham’s Malvedos 1979 (half-bottle) **

Mid-deep in colour, showing more maturity than the 1978; warm, ripe raisiny fruit on the nose, pruney flavours, tastes roasted with a coffee bean character and a baked finish. Still alive but stewed and hollow. 13

 [Quite lean in style, lacking fat, high toned]

 Graham’s Malvedos 1982 *** (+?)

 Very deep, dark colour, youthful pink rim; lovely, ripe scented fruit, tea leaf aromas, surprisingly fresh; rich but rather dusty on the palate and not especially fine (doesn’t live up to the expectations on the nose) but this wine still has some way to go, it’s still young and will get better. Solid finish, needing time to open up. 16

 [Rich, minty aromas, quite soft in style, dry finish, rather hollow]

Graham’s Malvedos 1984 *** / ****

 Another good, deep coloured wine, lovely aromas, tea leaf (again), very similar in style to the 1982, ripe, fresh, not quite as hefty, lovely succulent fruit with a very sweet succulent finish, still very fresh and elegant. 16.5

Graham 1985 ****  

 Showing a very good youthful colour, still purple on the rim; surprisingly closed on the nose, not giving much away; firm, dry tannins not as succulent a wine as I would expect from this vintage, good grip on the finish, still tight knit. A good wine from a problematic vintage 17.5

 [Dark and unyielding, very rich and winey, minty berry fruit, tight and very intense, round, rich but still green and raw]

Graham’s Malvedos 1986 ****

 Very deep, youthful colour, still black and darker than the 1985; not a great deal coming off the nose but very sweet, opulent and youthful on the palate, still a young strapping wine with good grip and peppery tannic length. 17

Graham’s Malvedos 1987 ****

 Another very deep, youthful looking wine with a thin purple rim; closed, dense, still with more to give; rich, opulent offset by solid tannic backbone and grip, broad, ripe tannic finish and good length. Good enough to count as a full declaration? 17.5

 [Closed, tight-kint, good grip and a firm green finish]

Graham’s Malvedos 1988 ***

Deep centre, thin purple rim with a hint of browning; rich and opulent on the nose and in the mouth, a consequence of very low yields, big solid, foursquare tannins, impressive but lacking in elegance. 16

 [Dark chocolate intensity, spicy and spirity, firm and raw, full of puppy fat]

Graham’s Malvedos 1990

 Deep colour; stewed and volatile on the nose, tastes stewed and dusty, oxidised. No mark.

Graham’s Malvedos 1992 **

 Mid-deep colour; off-putting hint of Bovril on the nose; hot, rich, quite fleshy initially but dry and dusty in style, may still improve with age but this has a hot, baked character that I do not particularly like. 13

Graham’s Malvedos 1995 (half bottle) *

 Deep centre, thin purple rim just starting to brown; rich but somewhat baked and rather soupy on the nose, lacking in definition, a touch of Bovril again on the nose and palate, meaty but rather coarse. 12

Graham’s Malvedos 1996 ** / ***

 Very deep in colour, thin purple rim; ripe, minty on the nose but still quite sullen, needing time to come out; quite ripe and opulent but not that sweet in style with a dusty finish. There was a huge crop this year and the wine does seem slightly stretched as a result. 14.5

Graham’s Malvedos 1998 ****

 This was the first single quinta Malvedos i.e. all the grapes came from the Malvedos estate: very deep, black colour, thin purple rim; dense, meaty eucalypt and esteva (gum cistus) aromas, needing time to develop; lovely, solid foursquare style, ripe fruit with bitter-sweet dark chocolate concentration reflecting the very low yields this year (0.67grams per vine). 17.5

Graham’s Malvedos 1999 ***

 Very deep youthful colour, crimson rim, attractive berry fruit on the nose with more still to give; rich, quite dense, seemingly quite dry in style but with fresh acidity and ripe tannic length. Not that big but well balanced. 16

Graham’s Malvedos 2001 ****

 Very deep black colour, thin purple rim, lovely opulent nose, surprisingly open and forward but with underling concentration; lovely opulence on the palate, very pure and well defined fruit, sweet, luscious, dense. Very good indeed, combining balance and succulence. The first Malvedos to be made in robotic lagares. 17

Graham 2003 *** +?

 Very deep, opaque; closed but with something rather hot and baked underlying (maybe just a phase in its evolution); rich, round and luscious on the palate, dense, ripe chewy tannins but showing the heat of the vintage, rather hot and dusty towards the finish. 16+?

Graham’s Malvedos 2004 *** / ****

 Very deep, opaque, thin crimson rim; vibrant aromas, still open, youthful, amazingly in its first bloom of youth; rich, full of puppy fat, ripe gravelly tannins, rich and opulent, still raw but should re-emerge as a very fine wine in ten years plus. 16.5

Graham’s Malvedos 2006  ****

 Another very deep, dark, opaque wine; still open, very opulent with mint and esteva (gum cistus) evident; powerful gripping wine, rich and opulent with broad, chewy tannins. Complete. Showing great promise for the future. 17.5

Graham’s Malvedos 2008 (cask sample – trial blend) ****? 

Again black - crimson in colour; very aromatic and floral (violets), reflecting Touriga Nacional which makes up 60% of the blend, a very happy wine; rich, balanced and beautiful, very fine with some dark chocolate depth. Early days: 17+?

I recommend the following websites of friends and colleagues, including wine writers and producers. Click on the names below to go directly to the respective websites.  

Port Madeira and Fortified Wines

Websites

For the Love of Port This is a website bellonging to Roy Hersh, a man so passionate about Port that he named his daughter 'Taylor'. He is a true collector and this site is a font of knowledge for anyone with a thirst of Port. I was honoured to be inveited as his first guest in the 'guests corner' of his website in August 2009.

www.symington.com This is the Symington family website covering Port shippers Dow, Graham, Warre, Quinta do Vesúvio, Smith Woodhouse, Quarles Harris, Gould Campbell, Martinez and Quinta do Vesúvio and well as the Madeira Wine Company (Blandy, Cossart Gordon, Leacock and Miles). See below for a link to their blog which can also be accessed through this website.     

Blogs

www.christianseely.com  Christian Seely was the Managing Director of Quinta do Noval and graduated to head Axa Millesimes. He is an excellent speaker and with his responsibilites extending to Bordeaux, Burgundy, Languedoc, Hungary and Portugal his wine blog should be well worth reading.

 www.malvedos.wordpress.com  The Symington family have been blogging furiously during the 2009 vintage. Their blog based on Quinta de Malvedos allows you to follow the Symington family and their team of winemakers and viticulturalists in the vineyards, cellars and tasting room. It is a very readable insight to the viticultural year in the Douro.     

Other Wine Websites

Jancis Robinson Jancis needs no introduction to anyone with an interest in wine. I have worked with Janicis on a number of projects, most recently on the Portuguese entries in the Oxford Companion to Wine. She is a talented professional journalist with a good eye for a story and a refreshing tongue in cheek style when writing about some of the more colourful personalities in the wine trade.   

John Livingstone Learmonth  John is the man about the Rhone and it was his website that inspired my own. His book, once published by Faber and now with the University of California Press, is the best of the genre. He has an investment background and, not being totally wine focused like many wine journalists, brings an extra dimension to his writing and to his talks.  

 Other Really Useful Links 

www.born2move.co.uk/  It is so easy to put on the pounds / kilos when you are in the wine business and so I have been making a special effort recently to get fit and lose weight. With the encouragemant of personal trainer Matt Kay who founded Born2Move in 2008, I have been exercising more and eating better (but not less). Matt has shown me that with a bit of determination it is not that difficult to become fitter, lose weight and feel better. And I have found it enjoyable too. Born2Move's slogan sums it up: faster, leaner, fitter. I am a Born2Move junkie!        

The Estate

Quinta do Centro is located at Reguengo on the slopes Serra de São Mamede at 500 – 560 metres above sea level. Within 5km of the property the serra rises to over 1,000 metres above sea level, making this the highest point in southern Portugal. To use a Portuguese phrase, Quinta do Centro is on the meia encosta, (‘half-way up the slope’), where it is considered that the best wines are generally produced. The property lies on the edge of the São Mamede Natural Park. The Portalegre sub-region (a DOC in its own right) is quite different form the rest of the Alentejo with a terroir all of its own. The soils are schist and granite, with granite predominating at Quinta do Centro. The property spans a shallow valley and the soils are poor, full of rock and generally well drained. Annual average rainfall, which is below 400mm in much of the Alentejo, is in excess of 600mm in Portalegre. 

Unlike most of southern Portugal, land holdings in the Portalegre region are extremely fragmented, especially on the serra which has more in common with the north than the south. Quinta do Centro is fairly unusual in that it extends to just over 20 hectares of which 12.5 ha are planted with vines. Just under 10 ha are currently in production, with the oldest vineyard planted approximately 25 years ago. A further 2.7ha were replanted in 2006. The remainder of the property is semi-wild and given over to olive trees and cork oaks. There is also a small dam for irrigation. The principal grape varieties (in descending order of importance) are Trincadeira, Aragonez Alicante Bouschet and Grand Noir with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2007 we planted Touriga Nacional, Syrah and a small quantity of Viognier. A new winery was built on the property and used for the first time in 2007. There are also five houses in the property, four of which will eventually be restored for wine-related tourism.

The Wines

Our aim is to produce three different premium red wines, each from a blend of grape varieties, reflecting the terroir of the region. The emphasis will be on producing wines with balance, finesse and poise as opposed to the tendency to make big, blockbuster wines elsewhere the Alentejo. By 2011 when the vineyard is in full production it is envisaged that the property will be producing the equivalent of 42,000 litres a year apportioned between three red wines as follows:

•  Pedra Basta (meaning ‘enough stone’) with production rising to 26,500 bottles retailing c. €10 a bottle. (Vinho Regional Alentejano)
   
•  Pedra e Alma (meaning ‘stone and soul’) approx 20,000 bottles pa retailing at c. €20. 
   
• Prestige Blend (produced only in the best years) max. 2,000 bottles say three times a decade retailing at € 40  

Pedra e Alma and the prestige blend (yet to be named) will only be produced when we have sufficient wine with sufficient quality. The priority markets for all three wines are UK, USA and Portugal. Building and projecting the right image will be crucial to the success of our project and, while maintaining its roots in the Alto Alentejo, an international approach is necessary to put our wines and the Portalegre region on the map.

For day-to-day information on the running of the estate see Richard Mayson's wine blog 'Living the Dream' on www.richardmayson.com

UNITED KINGDOM

Sonho Lusitano Vinhos Lda. is represented in the UK by Richard’s Walford, Hales Lodge, Pickworth, Near Stamford, Lincs PE9 4DJ Tel. 01780 460451 Contact: Karen Jenkins Karen.Jenkins@r-w.co.uk

 Pedra Basta 2007 is available in the UK from the following sources:
 

SOUTH

• The Wine Society, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2BG  01438 740222 www.thewinesociety.com
• Vinoteca, 7, St John Street, London EC1 www.vinoteca.co.uk 
• Butler’s Wine Cellar, 247 Queens Park Road, Brighton BN2 9XJ www.butlers-winecellar.co.uk 
• Raffles Wine Company, The Old Fire Station, Old Market, Nalisworth, Glos. 
• Sommelier Wine Company,  23 St Georges Esplanade, St Peter Port, Guernsey GY1 2BG  
• Summertown Wine Café, 38, South Parade, Oxford, OX2 7JN 
• The Dorset Wine Company, 37 Peverell Av. West, Poundbury, Dorchester DT1 3SU www.dorsetwine.co.uk
• Philip Eyres Wine Merchant, Barracks Hill, Amersham, Bucks HP7 OLW

   

MIDLANDS

• Delilah Fine Foods, 15, Middle Pavement, Nottingham NG1 7DX www.delilahfoods.co.uk
• H Smith's 16-18 Compton Street, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 1DA
•  Worth Bros Wine Merchants, The Cellars, Cathedral House, 5, Beacon Street, Lichfield, Staffs. www.worthbrothers.co.uk

   

NORTH

• The Cheshire Smokehouse, Vost Farm, Morely Green, Wilmslow, Cheshire www.cheshiresmokehouse.co.uk 
• Ibbotsons of Ashford, Ashford –in-the-Water, nr Bakewell, Derbyshire 01629 812528
• deFINE Food and Wine, Chester Road, Sandiway, Cheshire CW8 1NH www.definefoodandwine.com
• John Hattersley Wines, Milford, Bakewell DE45 1DX www.johnwines.com
• Hanging Ditch Wines, Britannic Buildings, 42-44 Victoria Street, Manchester M3 1ST www.hangingditch.com
• Field and Fawcett, Bingley House Farm, Grimston Bar, Hull Road, York YO19 5LA www.fieldandfawcett.co.uk

   

RESTAURANTS

• The Fat Duck, High Street, Bray, Berks. SL6 2AQ  www.thefatduck.co.uk
• Fischer's Baslow Hall, Baslow, Derbyshire  www.fischers-baslowhall.co.uk 
• Vinoteca Ltd, 7, St John Street, London EC1  www.vinoteca.co.uk 
• Summertown Wine Café, 38 South Parade, Oxford  www.summertownwinecafe.co.uk
• David Mellor Café, The Round Building, Hathersage, S32 1BA davidmellordesign.co.uk
• El Toro, 129 Newbould Lane, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2PL www.el-toro-sheffield.co.uk

PORTUGAL

In Portugal Pedra Basta is distributed by Vinicom (www.vincom.pt) Vinicom : Centro Empresarial Sintra/Estoril II Edifício B Estrada de Albarraque 2710-335 Tel. 219 104 650 Fax 219 244 222 geral@vinicom.pt

Pedra Basta 2006/7 is available in Portugal from the following:

SOUTH (Algarve and Alentejo)

• Drinksgave, Albufeira
• Garrafeira Rui, Almancil
• Apolinia Supermercados, Almancil
• Boa Boca Gourmet, Évora
• Supermercados / Garrefeira Rui, Faro
• Garrafeira Grandola, Grandola
• Supermercado Baptista, Praia da Luz
• SuperNisa - Sepermadcados, Nisa
• Garrafeira Veneza, Paderne
• DrinkPor, Portalegre
• Caldeirão de Sabores, Portalegre
• Ma-jo, Portalegre
• Garrafeira Vital, Tavira
• Garrafeira Cobeal, Vila Real de Santo António 

   

CENTRE / LISBON

• Garrafeira Adivinho, Lisboa
• Garrafeira de Almada, Almada
• Casinha do António, Setúbal
• Coisas do Arco de Vinho, Belém (Lisboa)
• Delidelux, Lisboa
• Garrafeira Napoleão, Lisboa
• Garrafeira Venha a Vinha, Lisboa
• Vino Divino, Lisboa
• Wine and Flavours, Lisboa

NORTH / OPORTO

• Copo d'Uva, São João de Madeira
• Garrafeira Tio Pepe, Porto
• Garrafeira D.Vinho, Coimbra

   

RESTAURANTS

• Restuarante Cascata, Alferrarde (Abrantes) 
• Café - Restaurante Regata, Alpalhão
• Restaurante Pompilo, São Vicente (Elvas)
• Tasquinha do Oliveira, Évora
• Delidelux, Lisboa
• Bica do Sapato, Lisboa
• Solar de Presuntos, Lisboa
• Wine Bar do Castelo, Lisboa
• Restaurante Sever, Marvão
• Restaurante Jardim, Ponte de Sôr
• Solar do Forcado, Portalegre
• Tomba Lobos, Pedra Basta (Portalegre)
• Restaurante Deolina, Santiago de Cacém
• Bar do Binho, Sintra
• Restaurante Quinta de Beloura, Quinta de Beloura (Sintra)
• Restaurante O Prego de Prego e Rato, Vendas Novas
• Restaurante Xuinhashop, Oeiras

SWITZERLAND 

Sonho Lusitano Vinhos is imported to Switzerland by Vinoversum (www.vinoversum.ch) 

 

Vinoversum A. Gatti AG, Tösswiesenstrasse 8, CH-8413 Neftenbach
	Tel.: +41 (0)52 213 00 20, Fax: +41 (0)52 213 00 40
	eMail: info@vinoversum.ch
	skype: vinoversum

PEDRA BASTA in the UK press…

‘…red, dark, rich and intense with dense, stony tannins, real mountain wine.’

Charles Metcalfe in The Wine and Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal

Pedra Basta 2007

'Best Old World Red: schist and granite soils planted with local grapes and some Cabernet give a dark, ripe plummy wine with a firmly elegant personality' 

Spurrier's World, Decanter magazine. '   

Dark, dense, full-bodied, with ripe, spicy, red-berry and blackcurrant fruit and touches of licorice, chocolate and vanilla; fine chewy tannins. A red with southern Portuguese flavours, but Douro polish, from an estate – Quinta do Centro – belonging to UK wine writer Richard Mayson. You can drink it now, but it should be good for another four years. 13.5% abv. 

Joanna Simon, www.joannasimon.com

Fellow wine scribe Richard Mayson has bought Quinta do Centro, a vineyard in the cooler hills of the Alentejo. There he produuces elegant ripe fruit without high sugar levels, enabling to control the alcohol. 2007 Pedra Basta is his best vintage yet. .... It's soaked in fruits of the forest, with fine-grained tannins and earthiness - decant it to appreciate it fully.

Amelia Pinsent, Country Life

 Less “loud” than the 2006 and I prefer it.  There’s a little less Cabernet and the 07 shows more red fruits supported by firm but ripe tannins.  More elegance and persistence than its predecessor  – it seems better to capture Portalegre’s potential for this mid-weight style and no doubt also reflects a cooler growing season.

Sarah Ahmed, The Wine Detective

 Delicious, ripe, full-flavoured red from the Alentejo, from the excellent 2007 vintage, from UK wine wruter and specialist Richard Mayson. Drink now - 2012.

The Wine Society

 Pedra Basta 2006

 'Trade up to this confident, individual red from Portugal, currently one of the best places to find interesting wines. This is a ripe, full-flavoured, grown-up red; the wine's complexity comes from a blend of four mostly local grape varieties. It has a convincing pedigree, made by top winemaker Rui Reguinga and Richard Mayson, the UK's leading wine writer on Portugal's wines.'BBC Good Food Magazine - Nov 08
 Sarah Jane Evans MW, among her best buys for Christmas.

'…fragrant, floral with aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry leaf and a touch of leather. Very fine tannins…more poise and tension [than the 2005]. I would give this another year in bottle. Drink 2010 – 2015'

Neal Martin’s Wine Journal on Erobertparker.com

‘Dark blackberry fruit on the nose, plus a bit of plummy spiciness. The palate is dense with some firm, savoury, spicy structure underneath the sweet blackberry and plum fruit’.

Jamie Goode’s Wine Blog

‘A gorgeous rich, supple red from the hills of the eastern Alentejo…’

The Wine Society

This has calmed down since I last tasted it when it was all exuberant, glossy fruit.  It’s now less bouncy, more “winey”, with juicy damsons and the Cabernet Sauvignon really coming through with blackcurrant to nose and palate.  Slightly chewy tannins have mellowed and become better integrated with the fruit too.  Good.

Sarah Ahmed, The Wine Detective   

Pedra Basta 2005

‘Broad, full, sunny flavours that speak eloquently of the warmth of the Alentejo are followed by the grip imposed by the local land’.

Jancis Robinson MW

…an impressive Alentejo from English wine writer, Richard Mayson along with winemaker Rui Reguinga. It has a warm, open-knit nose of summer fruits, raisin and dates with good definition. The palate is full-bodied, plump and quite ravishing in texture…

Neal Martin’s Wine Journal on Erobertparker.com

‘…full of deep, rich savoury flavours, rounded and long – a real food wine with character and style’

Christine Austin, Yorkshire Post

‘Fresh herbal, even a little cedary on the nose. Both elegant and juicy. A light had in the winemaking. Charming, discreet tannins. Drink 2008 – 10’ 16.5 / 20

Julia Harding MW at jancisrobinson.com

‘Peppery, damsony, chewy port-like intense palate – intriguing four grape Portuguese blend by Englishman Richard Mayson’

Rose Murray Brown MW, The Scotsman

‘Spot on…plush, smokey, seductive red, with cherry and raisin fruit backed up by fine grained tannins.’

Simon Woods, Wine & Spirit

 ‘From the hills of the eastern Alentejo, this is ripe and satisfying, full the of natural, rich, savoury flavours of Portugal’s indigenous grapes.’

The Wine Society
 

The first pai of wines were served blind in black glasses so as not to reveal the colour of the wine - a fascinating experiment:

Ferreira 1963 ***

Perfumed but rather confected aromas, touch of barley sugar; very sweet retaining some structure and length, has some backbone but the finish is sweet, confected and slightly hollow.  (The wine revealed itself as pale pink in colour). 15

Ferreira 1863 ****

Liquorice on the nose, quite spirity with a touch of rancio emerging from the glass; tastes very sweet, herbal, anis, mint and a touch of liquorice, not much tannin evident (is this an old white lagrima Port I asked myself), soft, sweet and very long. (The wine revealed itself as pale amber - orange in colour, as if it could have been a White Port)  A fascinating wine, very difficult to give a mark.  17 

Quinta de Vargellas 1996 ***

Deep, youthful colour; ripe but baked on the nose, a touch of marmite, reeks of a hot vintage (even though 1996 was not a hot year); rich strapping wine, lovely bright berry fruit with big gripping tannins, tastes fresher than it smells, quite plump on the finish. I guessed it as a 1995 single quinta and I was very surprised to find I was one year out!  15.5 

Graham 1963 (bottled by Grants of St James) No Stars

Very pale tawny colour; dried out on the nose, gentle, high-toned and fruitless; very dry on the palate, faded, quite ghostly, dried out, a vestige of gentle, milk-chocolate sweetness on the finish. Sad! This is either a bad bottling or the wine has been badly stored.  No mark

Martinez 1985 ***

Good, mid-deep youthful colour, pink rim; not much on the nose initially, a slight smell of cheese, camenbert but opening up to reveal blackcurrent fruit; lovely, gentle, elegant, firm with good balance, firm, tight sinewy tannins, this wine still has a core, with a gentle, dry finish. Drinking well now and with another ten or fifteen years to go.  A very good wine in the context of the oh so variable 1985 vintage. 16

Taylor 1955 (UK bottling) ****

Mid-deep garnet-pink colour, browning rim; very perfumed, floral, rose petals and violets, orange peel too; quite overt, open refined and rarefied on the palate, dry and spicy, not much fruit remaining, candied peel, delicate and still quite fresh, not nearly as powerful as I would have expected from a 1955 of this ilk but a very enjoyable wine nonetheless. Drink soon. 17  

Fonseca Guimareans 1976 ****/ *****

Very deep and still 'black' in colour; first bottle sadly corked, second bottle stupendously powerful, evocative minty aromas, eucalyptus and esteva (gum cistus), it still brings back my tasting note from Wine magazine fifteen or so years ago 'no need to fake your orgasm this Christmas'; very rich, firm, powerful bold fruit, cast-iron tannins, big and bold, bitter-sweet, dark chocolate concentration. Makes up in power for what it lacks in elegance but still an extraordinary wine. Top notch. A Vintage Port that will go on and on and on.  This wine would get five stars for its chutzpah alone!   18.5

Fonseca 1977 ****

Mid-deep in colour with a pink rim; quite dense on the nose, elegant, a touch floral with milk chocolate depth; soft, rich yet  firm and tight-knit round the core, lovely sweet berry fruit, succulent, elegant, absolutely ready now but with plenty of life left. A lovely wine but not as impressive as the 1976 Fonseca-Guimareans with which it was paired. Drink now and over the next 15 - 20 years. 17.5