Time can do remarkable things – in the right hands. Aside from Graham’s Vintage Ports, the 200-year-old port house’s Aged Tawny Ports are among those that require the utmost patience, with many needing decades of ageing to reach their full potential.
The Cellar Master’s Trilogy, which comprises three Single Harvest Tawny Ports, captures three specific moments in a port’s unique journey, with the oldest port dating back more than 60 years. The trilogy pays homage to the skills, experience, and craftsmanship honed over generations by just a few, each entrusted with the responsibility of shaping Graham’s award-winning ports.
The port house has announced the latest chapter in this story with the introduction of Graham’s 1979 Single Harvest Tawny Port. Succeeding the 1974 as ‘The Artisan’, the 1979 joins ‘The Apprentice’ 1997 and ‘The Master’ 1961 – three remarkable ports that serve as living testaments to the profound power of careful wood ageing.
Almost five decades ago, the 1979 was selected for long-term ageing by Graham’s Head Winemaker and Master Blender, Peter Symington (third generation), and now, 47 years later, his son and successor, Charles, has chosen to bottle eight casks under ‘The Artisan’ name.
Having spent almost half a century ageing in seasoned oak casks at the Graham’s 1890 Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, the 1979 Single Harvest Tawny Port has evolved gradually, developing stunning layers of complexity while retaining the freshness and elegance that mark the finest Aged Tawny Ports. During its decades at the Graham’s 1890 Lodge, around half of the wine’s original volume has been lost to evaporation – also known as ‘the angel’s share’ – resulting in exquisite concentration.
Tasting the 1979 is a memorable experience with its enticing aromas of butterscotch, toffee and honeysuckle, which immediately fill the room on opening. It is voluptuous and silky smooth on the palate with bright citrus flavours and tantalising hints of walnuts, quince, tea and tobacco.
The long, lingering aftertaste suggests nutmeg and tea – a parting gift of a wondrous wine that manages to balance the complexities and subtleties of age with the intensity of its wide-ranging flavours.
Charles Symington, fourth-generation port producer and Graham’s Head Winemaker, remarked, “A wine like the 1979 is a wonderful reminder that ageing port is both an art and a practice. While we closely follow our wines as they develop, there is no magic moment at which they are ‘ready’. It is up to us to make that judgement.”
‘The Artisan’ is a tribute to the craftspeople who have watched over wines like the 1979 across generations, understanding not only a wine’s quality, but also its unique ageing journey. The role of Graham’s Head Winemaker is to identify wines with particular promise – as Peter Symington did following the 1979 harvest – to follow their evolution in oak, and ultimately to have the knowledge, confidence and experience to recognise when the moment has come to bottle them.
Charles’s decision to bottle the 1979 almost half a century later vindicates Peter’s decision to set the wine aside for long-term ageing in the first place. ‘The Artisan’, and The Cellar Master’s Trilogy as a whole, are an expression of the continuity, experience and patience that underpins the nurturing of these wines.
Charles Symington continued, “After almost half a century, the 1979 has reached a point where its complexity, freshness and elegance are beautifully in balance, and that combination is what makes it such a compelling expression of ‘The Artisan’ stage of The Cellar Master’s Trilogy.”
For sommeliers, Graham’s Single Harvest Tawny Ports offer a fascinating perspective on time. They speak not only of a single year in the Douro Valley – home to the UNESCO-listed Alto Douro Wine Region – but also of the decades that follow and the gradual evolution that takes place in cask at the Graham’s 1890 Lodge.
‘The Apprentice’, ‘The Artisan’ and ‘The Master’ are not simply names, but a reflection of the progression of knowledge and expertise over time – passed between colleagues, and from father to son.
Graham’s 1979 Single Harvest Tawny Port is now available both individually and as part of the complete Cellar Master’s Trilogy Collection, including ‘The Apprentice’ 1997, ‘The Artisan’ 1979, and ‘The Master’ 1961 Single Harvest Tawny Ports.
