2011 Graham's LBV

[Lindsay E.]

I popped and poured the 2011 Graham's LBV this afternoon for my WSET 3 study group. Nose of black currant, blackberry, clove, cedar, blueberry bushes, chalk/dust. The palate was on the sweeter side with earthy notes and dried black plums with high acid and medium plus tannins. I originally bought a few bottles of the 2011 LBV because I enjoyed how well it showed on release. Since that time, I've felt that the Graham's takes a back seat to the 2011 Crasto LBV and 2011 Fonseca LBV, so I was expecting to be underwhelmed tasting the Graham's LBV today. But, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this today, especially after tasting the ultra delicious 2011 and 2016 Graham's VPs last night. I also found myself saddened by the fact that this is not an "unfiltered" LBV as it really has a powerful structure that could stand up to bottle aging. The structure feels almost too big for casual drinking yet this port is far too sweet to pair with food. I'd bet an that if Graham's made an "unfiltered" version of this that the wine would be dynamite in 5-10 years. As it stands today this is a solidly delicious LBV that has enough structure to keep the sweetness from becoming cloying. Well done! 92 points

[Roy Hersh]

The question is, do you like it more or less than the 2011 Crasto LBV?