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Time can do remarkable things \u2013 in the right hands. Aside from Graham\u2019s Vintage Ports, the 200-year-old port house\u2019s Aged Tawny Ports are among those that require the utmost patience, with many needing decades of ageing to reach their full potential.<\/p>\n
The Cellar Master\u2019s Trilogy, which comprises three Single Harvest Tawny Ports, captures three specific moments in a port\u2019s 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\u2019s award-winning ports.<\/p>\n
The port house has announced the latest chapter in this story with the introduction of Graham\u2019s 1979 Single Harvest Tawny Port. Succeeding the 1974 as \u2018The Artisan\u2019, the 1979 joins \u2018The Apprentice\u2019 1997 and \u2018The Master\u2019 1961 \u2013 three remarkable ports that serve as living testaments to the profound power of careful wood ageing.<\/p>\n
Almost five decades ago, the 1979 was selected for long-term ageing by Graham\u2019s 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 \u2018The Artisan\u2019 name.<\/p>\n
Having spent almost half a century ageing in seasoned oak casks at the Graham\u2019s 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\u2019s 1890 Lodge, around half of the wine\u2019s original volume has been lost to evaporation \u2013 also known as \u2018the angel\u2019s share\u2019 \u2013 resulting in exquisite concentration.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The long, lingering aftertaste suggests nutmeg and tea \u2013\u00a0a parting gift of a wondrous wine that manages to balance the complexities and subtleties of age with the intensity of its wide-ranging flavours.<\/p>\n
Charles Symington, fourth-generation port producer and Graham\u2019s Head Winemaker, remarked, \u201cA 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 \u2018ready\u2019. It is up to us to make that judgement.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018The Artisan\u2019 is a tribute to the craftspeople who have watched over wines like the 1979 across generations, understanding not only a wine\u2019s quality, but also its unique ageing journey. The role of Graham\u2019s Head Winemaker is to identify wines with particular promise \u2013 as Peter Symington did following the 1979 harvest \u2013 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.<\/p>\n Charles\u2019s decision to bottle the 1979 almost half a century later vindicates Peter\u2019s decision to set the wine aside for long-term ageing in the first place. \u2018The Artisan\u2019, and The Cellar Master\u2019s Trilogy as a whole, are an expression of the continuity, experience and patience that underpins the nurturing of these wines.<\/p>\n Charles Symington continued, \u201cAfter almost half a century, the 1979 <\/em>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 \u2018The Artisan\u2019 stage of The Cellar Master\u2019s Trilogy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n For sommeliers, Graham\u2019s Single Harvest Tawny Ports offer a fascinating perspective on time. They speak not only of a single year in the Douro Valley \u2013 home to the UNESCO-listed Alto Douro Wine Region \u2013 but also of the decades that follow and the gradual evolution that takes place in cask at the Graham\u2019s 1890 Lodge.<\/p>\n \u2018The Apprentice\u2019, \u2018The Artisan\u2019 and \u2018The Master\u2019 are not simply names, but a reflection of the progression of knowledge and expertise over time \u2013\u00a0passed between colleagues, and from father to son.<\/p>\n Graham\u2019s 1979 Single Harvest Tawny Port is now available both individually and as part of the complete Cellar Master\u2019s Trilogy Collection, including \u2018The Apprentice\u2019 1997, \u2018The Artisan\u2019 1979, and \u2018The Master\u2019 1961 Single Harvest Tawny Ports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Time can do remarkable things \u2013 in the right hands. Aside from Graham\u2019s Vintage Ports, the 200-year-old port house\u2019s 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\u2019s Trilogy, which comprises three Single Harvest Tawny Ports, captures three specific […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,33],"tags":[],"coauthors":[106],"class_list":["post-4491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","category-partners"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n