1970 Graham's VP (leaky bottle)

[Bert VD]

i opened the leaky bottle of Graham's 1970 that i bought some time ago. since i've had it (2 months) it has been stored flat and the line on the selo where i could see it leaked didn't change so it must have been a very slow leak.
i opened it at noon today.

the thick metal capsule was very very much stuck to the glass and when the outer layer was off i had to scrape off the remaining material.
it showed a soaked wet cork. after getting rid of all that i rinsed off the bottle and the cork came out relatively fine in 2 pieces with a simple corkscrew.
the first sniff had a bit of damp cork but while decanting that got replaced by a smell that was much more pleasant! a little sip confirmed that i might be lucky.
a bit of heat and the color was also not completely tawny but still had some fresh red highlights in it. after rinsing the bottle it went back in with a T stopper and we'll drink it tonight. (5-6 hours from opening)
i'll do my best to make a proper tasting note.

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the mess under the capsule

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a cork like a sponge

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it's not easy getting the color correct on a photo but this is as close as i could get it.

[Bert VD]

i recently wrote that Graham's VP doesn't seem to be a style of port that i like very much but this might just prove me wrong. i very much enjoyed this wine.
it seems well balanced to me. still a bit of heat (i like that) but not overpowering. there's is not so much red fruit and spices but more of a mellow cherry liquor and maybe some dried plum. the aftertaste is not very big but has a bit of bitter orange in it. maybe a bottle in top condition would be more impressive but it certainly didn't dissapoint.