2000 Graham's Vintage Port

[Lamont Huxley]

I've read great things about this port so when I found out that a couple of port-loving friends were going to be in town the other night I decided to treat us all to tasting of it. '

This is one of those ports that smelled really serious as soon as I popped the bottle. My impression as I was decanting it was of rich, warm molasses and a dark floral character, like violets. I let it decant for about 6-7 hours before we poured the first glasses.

The color is still a rich, dark purple with a bright, narrow rim of burgundy. After having aired out, the nose now had a much earthier character than at first. One of my friends immediately called out tobacco leaf and I think she was spot-on. Along with the prominent notes of tobacco there is also the dark floral quality that I had noticed when first pouring the wine, along with some deep, dark fruit, black cherry in particular, and a fruitcake-like spiciness. On the palate it comes off fairly full-bodied with excellent balance and moderate sweetness. Everything that's there on the nose seems to also come through in the taste - tobacco, black cherry and violets with spices emerging in the very long and elegant finish. There are some serious tannins in there but they are only apparent toward the very back of the palate at this point and come off quite silky already, and there is just a slight hint of spirit showing through.
We drank most of the bottle that night but I saved myself a glass to sit with and evaluate on the following afternoon and I found that all of the same elements were there on the nose and palate, but the overall character had become even more well integrated and enjoyable. This is quite an excellent VP that is already singing at such a young stage and suggests a wine that will live for many decades and should show wonderful complexity as it matures. I'd guess it will take at least another 15 years to really start to flesh out (not that that will stop me from drinking more of it in the meantime!). It's flavor profile is pretty different from what I've found in other Graham's VP's (I probably would have guessed Fonseca blind) but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Awesome stuff! 95+ pts, Tasted 11/10