Graham’s, 20-Year-Old Tawny Porto (Portugal) NV ($80, Premium Port Wines)

To be truthful, I don’t pay overdue attention to the color of a wine – I’ll learn everything it has to say when I taste it – although it is a pleasant part of the overall experience. But after recently opening the Graham’s 10-Year-Old, it’s instructive to notice the considerable change from the almost purple of the former to the almost brown of the latter as age and oak do their work. It is surprisingly assertive Tawny in a good way, although the alcohol is the same as is in the 10, with a great complexity and layered richness to go along with it – figs, nuts, dried and preserved and candied fruits coming together in the full tawny package.
94 Roger Morris