1945 | Graham’s | Vintage Port

Detailed Description

Medium ruby with a garnet edge, ripe plum aromas, medium-bodied, with plenty of elegant, delicate plum flavors and a balance of rounded tannins on the finish.

Reviews:

• Vinous: I have had the pleasure of the company of the 1945 Graham’s Vintage Port on two occasions now. Deep tawny in colour, this has a disarmingly refined bouquet, subdued at first but opening gloriously with clove, copper piping, almost a ferrous tincture that suffuses the red fruit. The palate is beautifully balanced, an ‘old dame’ of a Port with that quasi-Burgundian finish that makes you feel like you are walking on air. Magnificent! Tasted at a private dinner in London.

• James Suckling: What the ’48 has in power the ’45 has in finesse. It is still very concentrated but extremely well balanced and mellow. Medium ruby with a garnet edge, ripe plum aromas, medium-bodied, with plenty of elegant, delicate plum flavors and a balance of rounded tannins on the finish. Will improve with age.

Producer Information

Graham’s is a prominent Port house in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. The company begun as a textile company in the early 1800s by brothers William and John Graham in Glasgow, who received a barrel of Port as payment for a debt. The business grew from there, and today, Graham’s is owned by the Symington family who own several other port houses, including Dow’s and Warre’s. The house makes a range of Port styles, including the classic tawny, ruby and white expressions, as well as many declared vintages and single-quinta bottlings. The Quinta dos Malvedos vineyard provides many of the grapes for Graham’s vintage ports, and is considered one of the company’s finest holdings, acquired in 1890. It is planted predominantly to Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, both of which thrive in the sunny, dry terroir. The rest of the portfolio comes from several other vineyards in the Douro owned by the Symington family. The Graham’s cellar is located across the river from Porto in Vila Nova de Gaia, and is home to the house’s extensive collection of aging ports. The extensive range contains a few less-traditional styles of Port. The Six Grapes, a reserve Port, is produced from the same vineyards as the vintage Ports but is bottled younger to retain freshness. It was a favorite Port of Sir Winston Churchill and was served on famous ocean liner the RMS Queen Mary. Graham’s also produces a Port wine made entirely from organically grown grapes, the Natura Reserva.