1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval
Posted: 19:53 Wed 14 Jun 2017
I have 52 cases of 1985 vintage port that are stored in bond Plutus warehouses in Liverpool. The cases were brought over to the UK directly after they were released from their respective houses and have remained in bond in Liverpool ever since. I am considering selling some or all of the cases. The cases I have are as follows:
• 28x cases (dozen) Graham’s Port 1985
• 13x cases (dozen) Warre’s Port 1985
• 11x cases (dozen) Quinta do Noval Port 1985
If you are interested, please can you let me know:
1) The quantity you are interested in acquiring
2) The price per case (of each of the three types I have)
3) Timeline for you to acquire the port
1985 was an exceptional year for port and Jancis Robinson recently wrote about the vintage in her FT column: https://www.ft.com/content/10665d5e-140 ... e417ee6c76
I have also put some reviews below in case of interest:
Graham’s 1985
Graham is a great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their tawnys are quite good rather than exceptional, but their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous. Graham is the undisputed star and kingpin of the 1985 vintage ports. Yes, it is made in a sweeter style than the other ports, but it is a fabulous wine because of a dazzling level of black-cherry fruit, an enormous structure, and staggering depth, dimension, and length. It is forward, as are all 1985s, and I would speculate that this port will be approaching maturity by 1992-93 and will keep 15-20 years thereafter. 96 Points, Robert Parker
Warre’s Port 1985
This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1985 is the sweetest and richest of the recent Warre vintages. Extremely concentrated, rich, even luscious, this full-bodied, intense, opulent wine has layers of fruit, a full-blown bouquet, and impeccable balance. The soft tannins and precocious appeal of the 1985 suggest rapid maturation. 90 Points, Robert Parker
Quinta do Noval 1985
The beautiful Quinta do Noval is undoubtedly the most famous port producer, largely because their 1931 and 1927 were to vintage port what the 1947 Cheval Blanc and 1945 Mouton-Rothschild were to the Bordeaux trade - divine, monumental wines of extraordinary depth of flavor. Also, the Quinta do Noval produces a rare vintage port from a small vineyard of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines called Nacional. It is so rare that I have never seen, much less tasted, a bottle of what is supposedly a great port. However, the truth of the matter is that recent vintages of Quinta do Noval have not been nearly as impressive as they should be. Commentators have described the wines as light, elegant, and charming when in fact they lack richness and depth of flavor. The 1985 is quite concentrated, seductive, and amazingly delicious now, and it should mature quite quickly. The finish is long and flavorful, but I wonder about the lack of tannic structure to this wine. 87 Points
Many thanks for your interest,
Will
• 28x cases (dozen) Graham’s Port 1985
• 13x cases (dozen) Warre’s Port 1985
• 11x cases (dozen) Quinta do Noval Port 1985
If you are interested, please can you let me know:
1) The quantity you are interested in acquiring
2) The price per case (of each of the three types I have)
3) Timeline for you to acquire the port
1985 was an exceptional year for port and Jancis Robinson recently wrote about the vintage in her FT column: https://www.ft.com/content/10665d5e-140 ... e417ee6c76
I have also put some reviews below in case of interest:
Graham’s 1985
Graham is a great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their tawnys are quite good rather than exceptional, but their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous. Graham is the undisputed star and kingpin of the 1985 vintage ports. Yes, it is made in a sweeter style than the other ports, but it is a fabulous wine because of a dazzling level of black-cherry fruit, an enormous structure, and staggering depth, dimension, and length. It is forward, as are all 1985s, and I would speculate that this port will be approaching maturity by 1992-93 and will keep 15-20 years thereafter. 96 Points, Robert Parker
Warre’s Port 1985
This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1985 is the sweetest and richest of the recent Warre vintages. Extremely concentrated, rich, even luscious, this full-bodied, intense, opulent wine has layers of fruit, a full-blown bouquet, and impeccable balance. The soft tannins and precocious appeal of the 1985 suggest rapid maturation. 90 Points, Robert Parker
Quinta do Noval 1985
The beautiful Quinta do Noval is undoubtedly the most famous port producer, largely because their 1931 and 1927 were to vintage port what the 1947 Cheval Blanc and 1945 Mouton-Rothschild were to the Bordeaux trade - divine, monumental wines of extraordinary depth of flavor. Also, the Quinta do Noval produces a rare vintage port from a small vineyard of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines called Nacional. It is so rare that I have never seen, much less tasted, a bottle of what is supposedly a great port. However, the truth of the matter is that recent vintages of Quinta do Noval have not been nearly as impressive as they should be. Commentators have described the wines as light, elegant, and charming when in fact they lack richness and depth of flavor. The 1985 is quite concentrated, seductive, and amazingly delicious now, and it should mature quite quickly. The finish is long and flavorful, but I wonder about the lack of tannic structure to this wine. 87 Points
Many thanks for your interest,
Will