Grahams 1950 Single Harvest Tawny Port

Description

Grahams 1950 Single Harvest Tawny Port is an incredibly rare old bottling of tawny Port. It has been nurtured by generations of winemakers and master blenders for over seven decades as it ages peacefully in the Graham’s Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia.

As Europe began slowly rebuilding its ravaged economy from World War II, only limited quantities of the best parcels of wine of the 1950 harvest were set aside for long-term ageing. Over time, these casks were used for blending with other wines and very little has reached us. Charles Symington has now decided to release just half of the last cask. This remarkable wine is a celebration of the deep complexity and balance that only experience can craft.

W & J Graham’s was founded in Oporto, Portugal’s second city, in 1820 by the two brothers William and John Graham and for nearly two hundred years Graham’s Ports have been made by just two families, the Grahams and the Symingtons – in 1970 the Grahams sold the company to the Symingtons who brought with them their own rich heritage in the Port trade.

Graham’s Aged Tawny Ports are made from wines of the very highest quality which, following careful selection are blended and subsequently matured in seasoned casks for a number of years until their peak of maturity is attained. These are among the most demanding and challenging styles of Port to produce, requiring great skill and years of experience from the winemaker. It is essential to strike the correct balance between the delicacy and elegance which results from prolonged cask-ageing and the rich fruit quality which lends these old tawnies their structure, freshness and longevity. The quality and high reputation of Graham’s Port relies on the finest grapes, primarily sourced from five iconic quintas in the Douro Valley: Quinta dos Malvedos, Quinta do Tua, Quinta das Lages and two others, Quinta da Vila Velha and Quinta do Vale de Malhadas, which are privately owned by members of the Symington family.

The grapes for Grahams 1950 Single Harvest Tawny Port were sourced primarily from Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos, but also from other smaller vineyards in the Rio Torto Valley from where Graham’s traditionally secured some of the best grapes for its ports. Principal grape varieties were Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca and Sousão.

The 1950 growing season in the Douro was generally moderate with none of the heat spikes recorded in recent years which slowed the pace of the growth cycle and resulted in a late starting harvest. In these conditions, maturations proceeded steadily, delivering
grapes with an incredible balance of sugar and acidity. An entry in the Symington family harvest records, written by brothers Maurice and Ron Symington post-harvest notes: “conditions throughout were ideal, cool nights and never too hot during the daytime.” This generally cool profile of the growing cycle defined the elegance and extraordinary freshness which are hallmarks of the finest 1950 wines.