Graham's Vintage Port 2016

Graham's 2016 Vintage Port is a quintessential expression of the house's famously lush, generous style. The 2016 vintage was not as widely declared as 2017, making this a more selective release that showcases the very best of what Graham's top quintas, Malvedos and Tua, produced that year. The result is a wine of extraordinary richness and seductive charm.

The nose is immediately captivating. Ripe blackberry and black plum are joined by dark rose, cocoa, dried herbs, and a subtle mint note that adds freshness to the opulence. This is Graham's at its most perfumed and alluring. On the palate, the wine is lush and deeply concentrated, offering black cherry, cassis, bitter chocolate, and fig paste, all wrapped in velvety tannins that are characteristically more approachable than those of Taylor's or Dow's. The texture is almost creamy.

The finish is very long and generous, unfolding in waves of dark fruit, chocolate, and warm spice. Where Taylor's 2017 impresses with structure and mineral tension, Graham's 2016 seduces with richness and depth. The tannins are ripe and sweet, promising relatively earlier accessibility while still offering decades of cellaring potential.

Graham's 2016 is a stunning vintage port that will appeal to those who prize opulence and generosity in their wines. It is not as monumental as some Taylor's or Fonseca releases, but its sheer pleasure factor is hard to resist. This is a wine that will be magnificent with 20-30 years of cellaring, but may also reward the impatient sooner than more austere releases.