NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

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Andy Velebil
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NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Andy Velebil »

Glenn and I served this side by side, double blind, with the regular Graham's Six Grapes at the end of the first day of the FTLOP 1985 Horizontal in Seattle. These were not decanted, except the corks were pulled about 6 hours prior to tasting. Here is my snap shot tasting of the Special Old Vines Edition. The color is much more purple and darker than the regular Six Grapes, more along the lines of a cask sample VP. A rich nose of red plums and esteva. The palate was bolder, richer, and far more tannic than the regular cuvee. This also had black fruit, as opposed to red fruit in the regular Six Grapes. More acidity, better structure, with fresh fruit, good acidity, no heat, and a long tannic finish. This was far closer to a young VP or top end LBV than a typical Ruby Reserve. While the regular Six Grapes also showed really well, I was very impressed by this. The only downside being this is about twice the price of the regular Six Grapes.
91 Points
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Janet Ainsworth
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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Janet Ainsworth »

We found this at the Pennsylvania state liquor store, Premium Division, while visiting over New Year's, so of course it followed us home for New Year's, since otherwise it was a boring champagne for the count-down. (Not port related--is there a more pointless holiday than New Year's Eve, where the whole point is to celebrate an arbitrary point in time, then go to bed??)
As to the Port, I was really impressed, as it seemed to me to be every bit what one would expect of a pretty good SQVP. Richer, fuller, just plain more stuffing than a typical reserve ruby. Of course, the price is pretty much aligned with that quality, too. Still, for a 'pop and pour' Port, it is worth the tariff by my lights. I got one additional bottle, for an Amtrak long haul trip where a non-decant Port would serve us well...
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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Andy Velebil »

Janet,
Thanks for your take on this. As you saw from my note, I agree it's a wonderful Port the only problem being most people will look at it and go "Do I buy Six Grapes #1 or Six Grapes #2 for a whole lot more" not realizing the big gap in quality between them. For those not in-the-know about Port this would probably become a hand-sell by a retailer, with a lot of convincing. The plus side, there wasn't a whole lot made so for those of us who are aware of what it is, and its high quality, just means we can find it, buy it, and drink more of it. [cheers.gif]
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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Roy Hersh »

Being very blunt here:

1. there was definitely a qualitative step up for the old vines.
2. it was only a point or two, imo.
3. given the asking price of the old vines edition ... I would never consider buying a bottle at $40 or so, (the price we were told this is retailing for). There are MANY LBV's and some Ruby Reserves that I would rather drink at around $18-25 per bottle.
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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Glenn E. »

Roy Hersh wrote:Being very blunt here:

1. there was definitely a qualitative step up for the old vines.
2. it was only a point or two, imo.
3. given the asking price of the old vines edition ... I would never consider buying a bottle at $40 or so, (the price we were told this is retailing for). There are MANY LBV's and some Ruby Reserves that I would rather drink at around $18-25 per bottle.
1. Yep. It was noticeable even with a fatigued palate.

2. Agreed - I gave the regular 91 pts and the Old Vines 92.

3. For drinking, I agree. But I can also see buying a bottle or two for the fun of it, or for a taste comparison like the one we did. Definitely do the comparison blind, though, as they're very close so label bias would almost certainly determine the outcome if tasted revealed.
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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Andy Velebil »

I don't think they had any resemblance to each other. Other than both are Ruby Reserves. The Old Vines (OV) was purple, Six Grapes (SG) was redish in color. OV had back fruit, SG had red fruit. OV had far more tannins and better acidity. OV was also richer in texture and with a longer fuller finish. Glenn, you were one of the few who thought they were very similar. Most everyone else commented on how different they were.

The sticking point with this is the price for a lightly filtered Ruby Reserve. I suspect if they put Six Grapes Special Crusted on the label there would be no issues. But marketing is everything and I agree it's probably going to be a tough sell as a result. I'd be curious to see sales results, in the retail market not wholesale market, over this coming year.

FYI, A W-S check shows prices are between $35-45 per bottle across the USA.
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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Eric Menchen »

I thought they were both pretty dark and solid, with a magenta tint where you could see it. I'll have to consult my notes, but I while I much preferred the old vines, I thought they shared a lot in common.
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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Moses Botbol »

Had a couple of casual glasses last night and it's a big step up from the regular version. I don't find the $30 to be out of line. Definetley needs a week in open to shine. I'll cellar a few bottles just for the heck of it.
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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Eric Menchen »

I'd heard $40, which percentage-wise is a fair bit more than $30.

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Re: NV Graham's Six Grapes Special Old Vines Edition Port

Post by Andy Velebil »

Eric Menchen wrote:I'd heard $40, which percentage-wise is a fair bit more than $30.

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FYI, A W-S check shows prices are between $35-45 per bottle across the USA.
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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