'77 Graham

[ser97]

Back in 1984 one writer speculating on the '77s wrote "Outstanding vintage. Best drinking, 1995 and until hell freezes over!" I sure don't want to uncork this one too soon. Think it's ready? Likely to improve? Thanks for your thoughts, Steve

[OportoRAH]

Some of the top 1977 vintage Porto is still drinking way young and will need another decade to reach its prime time. Fonseca, Dow and Taylor are good examples of this. There are other '77 like Warre that will still improve with time in bottle, but are ready to drink and enjoy now.

Graham on the other hand, was disjointed in its youth and went through a typical "dumb phase" and has emerged as an unbalanced wine. It is a good example of the importance of finding a good balance of fruit, acid and tannins in a young vintage Porto. If these qualities are lacking in a wine's infancy, there is no way that they will develop with age. Some disagree with this but not many that drink lots of Porto. I would recommend drinking the '77 Graham now as it will show more flaws with age.

Roy