2007 Graham

Black with a narrow dark purple rim. Ripe dark damsons and violets and cassis, just a touch of fig. Lots of sweet oak spice. Sweetest dark fruit. Fine grained, peppery and then very fresh. Refined, tight and so pure and juicy and great freshness. Lovely balance and restraint. Empty glass smells of sweet roasted fruit. (JH)

A candidate for wine of the vintage, the 2007 Graham’s Vintage Port is complete in every way. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up an ethereal perfume of smoke, mineral, Asian spices, incense, an amalgam of ripe black fruits, and a hint of chocolate in the background. This leads to a dense, super-rich, plush, opulent wine that hides its structure under all the fruit. Vibrant, impeccably balanced, and exceptionally lengthy, it will easily age for another 25-30 years in the cellar and drink well through 2050, probably longer. It is a tour de force. Importer: Premium Port Wine, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 554-9920

Blackish purple. Very rich and spicy and immediately attractive and rather luscious on the nose. Violets, liquorice and very flattering. Round and extremely fruity – so much less obviously tannic and dry than many. Is there enough tannin here? It's certainly very well hidden! Literally gorgeous now but I wonder how it will age? Again, as with Fonseca, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that it has been made to age and that underneath all that voluptuous fruit is enough tannin for a long life. Certainly persistent. (JR)