Six Grapes Reserve Port 0.75

Founded in 1820 by William and John Graham in Portugal’s Douro Valley, for nearly two centuries Graham’s has cultivated its reputation as one of the greatest names in Port. The quality 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 WINE       The name Six Grapes refers to the symbol Graham’s has always used to classify wines on a scale of one to six, Six Grapes denoting the lots with Vintage Port potential. From Graham’s five key vineyard properties, Malvedos, Tua, Lages, Vila Velha and Vale de Malhadas, the lots with the most concentration, structure and the brightest fruit are given the coveted Six Grapes classification. With a youthful, fruit forward style, Six Grapes is a perfect wine to accompany dark chocolate or blue cheese, or simply to relax with at the end of the day.       WINEMAKING         Six Grapes typically sees a rather shorter period in wooden barrels than other Reserve Ruby Ports, with our blending team seeking to preserve its youthful, blackberry fruit character and the fresh aromas of cassis and liquorice. After being loaded out of the Malvedos winery in the Spring following the harvest, the wines travel to Graham’s cask lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia where they will typically spend between one or two years in seasoned wooden barrels or vats before being incorporated into the Six Grapes lot ready for bottling. Our blending team is careful to try to match as closely as possible the new blend to the previous one so that the consumer can be certain that their favourite bottle of Six Grapes always maintains its outstanding level of quality. Once in bottle, the wine is ready to drink and does not require further ageing.             PROVENANCE & GRAPE VARIETIES         In terms of varietals, Six Grapes is made primarily of the four uncontested ‘stars’ of the Port region, the violety and aromatic Touriga Franca, the rich, tannic and well structured Touriga Nacional, the raspberry tinged Tinta Roriz and the sweet chocolatey Tinta Barroca. In addition there are components of Tinta Amarela, Tinta Cão, Souzão and Tinta Francisca as well as grapes from some older mixed plantings. At all five Graham’s Quintas, each varietal is picked according to its ideal ripeness, and the fermentations of each varietal and vineyard block kept separate, for blending together only much later once the wines have been properly assessed for their individual characteristics.           STORAGE & SERVING         Six Grapes can be left open for several weeks and is best served slightly cool, between 12 and 16º Celsius. Graham’s Six Grapes is delicious served at the end of a meal, for example with rich, nutty or chocolate desserts, as well as strong cheeses.         TASTING NOTE           Dark red colour, with a seductive rich perfume of ripe plums and cherries. On the palate, complex, with a good structure and a long lingering finish.        

Portugal