1 | Wine | Port, 95 or higher

"A blackstrap, powerful Port. Black, with intense aromas of raspberries, raisins, flowers and stems. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a long, rich finish. Tannins pull at your palate."

"Violets, roses, spices, and candied dark fruits. ...emanate from the glass of the murky black/purple colored 2003 Graham Vintage Port. After four days of air, this wine’s aromatics sweetened further, displaying jammy blackberry and blueberry scents. Bold, full-bodied, and expansive, the Graham benefited the most from extensive contact with air of all the 2003s tasted for this report. This opulently jammy wine assaults the palate with powerful yet soft layers of oily, candied red fruits as well as notes of tar and hints of mocha. A highly concentrated effort, it is creamy textured, suave, and reveals an admirably long finish filled with additional layers of dark fruits intermingled with spices."

"This is a giant of a wine lurking behind fresh flowers and ripe fruit. Starts off in a friendly way, then takes hold of the palate, with intense blueberry and blackberry fruit and chewy yet fine tannins. Mouthpuckering, but impressively complex and long. Really kicks in on the finish. The best Taylor since 1994."

"The 2003 Fonseca Vintage Port exhibits a nose of profound depth. Its sweet black mass of dark fruit and spice aromas leads to a character of immense depth, richness, and weight. Full-bodied, viscous, and almost impenetrable, this dense, backward port is powerful and exceptionally long in the finish. Possibly the most masculine Fonseca I’ve ever encountered, it coats the taster’s palate with licorice, jammy black fruits, and notes of chocolate that last for over a minute."

"The non-vintage Museum Reserve Antique Tawny is a concoction of multiple grapes from a 16-year-old solera. It exhibits a medium amber color, fabulous ripeness, and a huge bouquet of honeyed fruits, prunes, plums, and a hint of figs. This gorgeous Tawny is appropriate to drink as dessert rather than with dessert. This wine does not improve in the bottle, but it will last for many years."

"I love the nose on this, with blackberry, black licorice, and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, medium sweet and very, very dense. What seductive mouthfeel, with polished, round tannins that caress the palate." 95-98 pts.

"In a port tasting, tasting Graham's is almost like tasting a big, rich, succulent Merlot after a group of blockbuster, tannic Cabernets. Sweeter and more obvious than many ports, the opaque purple-colored 1994 is fruity, powerful, and rich, with an addictive hedonistic quality. It will be ready to drink in 8-10 years and keep for up to 30. As always, this is a showy, flamboyant port that has the advantage of being slightly sweeter than other 1994s. A great Graham's. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2035." -Robert Parker October, 1996

"The nose here can only be described as frustratingly coy but very, very pretty. Core notes of warm blackberry and black cherry are joined by violets, black pepper, cloves, licorice and a touch of mocha. The palate promises at a wine of great purity, elegance and balance to come. Layer upon layer of dark fruit and spice flavours seamlessly wrap around crisp acidity and a wonderful texture of very fine, firm tannins. Very, very long finish."

"Smells like freshly picked orchids, with loads of ripe, clean fruit. Full-bodied, medium sweet and very powerful and racy. It lasts for minutes on your palate. Yet there's a balance and class to this young Vintage Port. This is the greatest glass of Graham I have ever tasted, young or old."

"Dense ruby/purple-colored, with an exotic, exuberant perfume of black fruits, flowers, incense, and licorice, this unctuously-textured, full-bodied port is one of the most concentrated of the vintage. Sweet, expansive, and succulent, this large-scaled, but remarkably well-balanced effort is surprisingly forward and accessible (by Fonseca's standards)."