Were there a Guinness Book of World Records designation for a 1987 horizontal tasting conducted over the longest temporal period, I should surely take the prize: this was the fifth such bottle consumed over successive Sunday evenings. Whilst the 1987 Malvedos does not pack the punch of the Vargellas of the same year, it is certainly comparable in its indisputable quality to the 1987 Bomfim. Indeed, I liked it a great deal, notwithstanding the fact that the Graham style is generally not my preference.
Consumed on 03 May 2020 after an eight-hour decant which appears to have done justice to the bottle, in the glass the wine was opaque at the core, surmounted by a clear rim and its colour reminded me of aging, albeit not aged Bordeaux. The first impression made on the olfactory nerve was that of a great heap of red and black fruits swelling under a summer sun. Wild strawberry and black raspberry both stood out, as did marzipan and concentrated vanilla. I was also reminded of the moss and pine smells which infuse small stands of trees surrounded by peat bog in Newfoundland, when the sun struggles to penetrate the boughs – a soothing vision at the dining table untroubled by the reality that Newfoundland flies have evolved to gnaw their way through moose hide and correspondingly make short work of the human species. Alas, untroubled as I was by apocalyptic visions from home, I found the mouth to be most agreeable, though perhaps not to the high standard of the nose. Swollen black cherry and rose hip were the first impressions at the fore-palate, these giving way to hibiscus midway through. It was at the mid-point that the considerable acidity became evident, this characteristic dropping off somewhat at the back, where unresolved tannins became evident along with a not-unpleasant note of wood. Initially, I adjudged the finish as being a touch clipped. In fact, it was of medium length though lacking in excitement, however comfortable the experience. ‘Twas a bit like embracing one’s mother.
This is a well-balanced port with sufficient acidity to cut through the considerable sweetness, the acidity making its appearance at just the right juncture, without overstaying its welcome. I found the wine to be a touch on the thin side; and, whilst not overly complex, it made for very agreeable drinking. If I had to guess, I would suggest that the 1987 Malvedos remains a decade from its peak, whereupon it might score a point or even two higher than today.
-91 points