Quinta do Crasto Finest Reserve Reserve Ruby Port – Having tried this at Crasto just a few weeks earlier, I hand carried this bottle back to the US to evaluate over several days. Pop-‘n-pour on day 1: dark mostly opaque garnet optic and purplish edge. Evocative nose of herbs, fresh carnations, anise and briary blackberry. It was so easy to approach, considering there was no time in decanter, medium weight, rich and very concentrated with sweet plum and marionberry flavors. Fine chalky tannins, exquisite acidity and a “slutty” smooth presence that is delicious from the very first sip. Great balance overall, with a medium-long finish bolstered by bright juicy waves of fruit. The second and third day, this opened up a bit more and showed medium-full body and even milder tannins. For a Reserve Ruby this is the best new release since the Noval Black. It is exactly what consumers will appreciate, a reasonably priced Port that can be opened and will show beautifully early on, without any spirit. Coming up next from Crasto … their first Colheita, from 1997. 90 points 4/29/12

1952 Graham’s Single Harvest Tawny Port – A 375 ml finished bottle. From two of the six casks that have remained untouched all these years: ten jeroboams (4.5 liters) and 1,000 individually numbered bottles were released in the UK by Berry Bros. & Rudd, (also sold in Portugal) in a “Vesuvio-like” wooden box with beautifully mitered corners. Commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s ascendency to the throne in 1952. Dark copper-amber color with a narrow greenish-gold meniscus. Provocative scents of sandalwood, apricot, baking spices, mahogany and crème brûlée delight the senses. Medium weight, with great precision and vibrancy due to the tongue tingling acidity. Off-dry in style with subtle hints of sweetness, more lithe and vinous than viscous. The 1952 is packed with flavors of maple, lemon zest, figs, caramelized sugar and sultana, with a medium-long and refreshing aftertaste. A marvelous Graham’s Port and worthy of the Queen of England! 94 points 5/29/12