[9 hour decant] Stunning vintage port, great aromatics, very fine color, super nice balance between fruit and spirits, super long, lingering finish, great wine to celebrate having hot water again in our house (7 days to locate and have a new water heater installed), pretty much a PERFECT bottle of vintage port!! — 12 days ago
Nice port ready for drinking. Not as complex as Dow. — 12 hours ago
Great color and complexity. — 2 months ago
The final wine at the Yarra Yering dinner in Brisbane last Thursday night 3rd October 2024 with winemaker Sarah Crowe. Fitting that Dry Red No. 1 should be the final wine - arguably the Jewel in the Crown. Initial aromatic impressions are gorgeous. This is the 50th vintage of Dry Red No. 1. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Brief notes - blackberry, aniseed and bay leaf. A medium bodied Cabernet with M+ intensity and finishing with fine boned tannin structure. Power with poise, concentration with finesse. Will live for 20 years plus. I have been buying on an irregular basis for many years. The 1990 was a highlight. I asked Sarah, who was Chairman of the Royal Sydney Wine Show this year to compare 3 of the main Cabernet producing areas in Australia - Yarra Valley leafy fragrance, Coonawarra Mint, and Margaret River herbaceousness. At Restaurant Dan Arnold. — 2 months ago
Given my "too early" assessment in 2021, I decanted this bottle 6 hours in advance. Beautiful nose of purple fruit / violets. Early drinking window. Good balance. Not spectacular but solid. For my palate this will be the best in the coming 5-10 years when the fruit is still notably present. — 14 days ago
It’s been years since I tasted this wine. Indeed, I was drinking the stuff made by Dr Bailey Carrodus before he passed. I’m pleased to note that the current winemaker hasn’t stepped off the reservation.
Nose is brambly and dense. Notes of figs, dates and cedar waft from the glass. Not as dense on the mid-palate as i recall, but well balanced, with no overbearing oak. Texture on the palate invokes a crunchy mouthfeel. This will benefit from more cellaring, but drinking very well right now.
Thanks to @Bob McDonald for reminding me how much I have missed this wine. — a month ago
Doug Powers
[8 hour decant] This shows some cinnamon spice notes on the palate, aromas are pretty muted, maybe some faint nutmeg, decent weight, this ‘77 Grahams has always been an enigma for me (though never on the level of ‘77 Fonseca or Taylor) through 8-10 bottles over the years, this being one of the better bottles, pretty good! — 9 days ago