1985 Graham Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

I recently purchased 3 magnums and 6 bottles of 1985 Graham, but I have nowhere to store them and it's supposed to get warm for the next week. Emergency! Start drinking! Pop 'n' pour for dinner at The Purple Café in Bellevue, so I didn't have high expectations as I usually decant this for at least 6-8 hours.

1985 Graham Vintage Port

Color: Dark red with purple overtones. Opaque in the center. Fades toward pink at the rim but with distinct orange tones.

Nose: More spirit than usual, but that could be the ambient heat. Lots of rhubarb and ripe strawberry. A bit of blackberry and maybe some blueberry, though the blueberry is more of an echo. Also some anise and some very (very) faint caraway. Possibly also some black pepper, which seems unusual for a Graham.

Palate: Rhubarb here, too, as well as some tart strawberry. The alcohol from the nose isn't noticeable except as heat behind the black pepper, again not typical for a Graham. Purple brambles (mulberry, I think) present here along with blackberries and black raspberries. There are still quite a lot of tannins, though you'd never mistake it for a 2003. I'd probably believe you if tasted blind and told it was a '91 or '95, though.

Finish: Nice warmth, a few tannins, and some vague purple or black fruits. The finish is very crisp and pleasant. The end of a long tail shows some typical tart apples.

Score: 94+ points. This bottle again strikes me as needing more time, but seemed a little more approachable now than my last. I'd say 5-10 more years to really hit its stride, but possibly more. I wouldn't even touch magnums for 10 years, and they'll probably need 20 more to be singing. Perhaps for my retirement party.