Tasting notes
A very intense colour with rich floral aromas and undertones of black cherry; a classic full-bodied structure, packed with layers of ripe fruit with a long and lingering finish. Ideal with blue cheese and chocolate desserts or on its own as a fabulous way to end a meal.
Why we recommend this wine
One of the top 3 ports of the 1997 Vintage which was one of the great Vintages of the decade being generally ‘declared’, with full-bodied and harmonious wines. Vintage Port requires a long time to become great and this half bottle is ready for drinking now.
The wine
Grapes are sourced from four properties: Quinta dos Malvedos, Quinta do Tua, Quinta da Vila Velha and Quinta do Vale de Malhadas. Each brings its own unique characteristics to Graham’s wines. Each year, the finest Graham’s ports are made in their specialist winery at Quinta dos Malvedos. Here, their winemakers are tasked with producing the finest expression of that year’s fruit – an approach that has lasted for over 200 years. Vintage Ports spend only about 18 months in wooden vats. Once bottled, they have no further contact with air so the colour, structure, complexity, and character of the wine changes slowly with time. Decant before serving to ensure that you do not pour sediment. (For more instructions please see Did You Know section below.) Enjoy within 2-3 days of opening.
The wine estate
The story of two families across three centuries. For almost two hundred years W & J Graham’s has been an independent family business renowned for producing the finest Port wines. Graham’s has always been a pioneer. Graham's was one of the first Port companies to invest in its own vineyards in Portugal’s Douro Valley in 1890 and is now at the cutting edge of innovation in winemaking techniques (inventing a mechanical process to replace traditional foot stamping). Today, five Symington cousins share responsibility for every aspect of the company and personally make the Graham’s wines. They too have been involved with Port and the Douro for many generations, going back to the mid-17th century. Graham’s practices sustainable winemaking to actively protect their natural ecosystems, limit carbon emissions, and support the local communities.
grahams-port.com
Food and wine
Port and Stilton are the classic match. Chocolate mousse or Tiramisu is another. Refer also to our food and wine pairing guide, click here.
Did you know?
For Decanting: Stand the bottle upright for 20 to 30 minutes before you intend to decant. Pull the cork slowly and steadily and leave the bottle for a few minutes. (We have included a Butler's Friend cork puller just in case the cork is difficult to extract - please see here on how to work this.) Clean the neck of the bottle. Pour the wine into a clean and rinsed decanter. You may want to put a light under the neck of the bottle so that you can see when the sediment starts so you can stop pouring. Sommeliers use a candle to do this.