Wine Graham's 1940 Single Harvest Tawny Port

The 1940 Port is an extremely rare wine. During World War II, the market froze. Many producers stopped trading altogether, while others drastically reduced their wine production. Although 1940 brought a smaller harvest than usual, it yielded high-quality grapes. This fine wine was bottled after nearly eighty years of aging in oak barrels. Graham 1940 is an extremely refined and balanced wine. Charles Symington, master blender, selected two of the few remaining 1940 barrels for this one-of-a-kind release.

An entry in the Symington family collection records, written by Ron Symington in early October 1940: "The vintage at our Quintas began on September 18 and the weather was good throughout. The grapes were free of disease, there is little or no escolha (grape selection) and the mostos (fermenting grape juice) looks very nice."

The deep orange-brown color reflects the concentration of nearly eighty years of barrel aging. Complex aromas of caramel, chocolate, brown sugar and roasted coffee are accentuated by a remarkable freshness that somehow belies the eighty years spent in oak. The palate is creamy, elegant and intense, with a long aftertaste with notes of walnuts, candied citrus and honey, while notes of tea and tobacco linger in the glass for a long time to come.

Graham

's Graham's

Vineyard

is a prominent house in the Douro Valley in northern Portugal. The company was founded as a textile company in the early 19th century by brothers William and John Graham in Glasgow, who received a barrel of port as repayment for a debt. Since then, the company has expanded, and today Graham's is owned by the Symington family, which owns several other port houses, including Dow's and Warre's. The house creates a range of styles of port, including classic ruby, tawny and white port, and showcases many vintage-exclusive bottles. The Quinta dos Malvedos vineyard supplies much of the grapes for Graham's vintage rank port and is considered one of the company's best vineyards, acquired in 1890. The main plantings there are Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, which ripen in a sunny, hot terroir.