
2018 PORTUGESE COLLECTION
Graham’s
Douro, Portugal
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When the Symington family completed the purchase of this most famous of all Port Houses in 1970, Graham’s became the jewel in their crown. By this time, the Graham’s Vintage was generally regarded as the consistently greatest Port. While most famous for their vintages, Graham’s had also established the other Ports as the epitome of the craft. From foundation in 1820, generations of Grahams constantly improved in every way possible their vineyards, winemaking and blending — a legacy clearly continued by the remarkable Symington family (who also own Dow, Warre, Gould Campbell, Smith Woodhouse and Fonseca in Port and a share in The Madeira Wine Co.).
The Graham’s Vintage Port style is full-bodied, incredibly fragrant, rich and sweet, a generosity brilliantly followed and disciplined by superb structures and tannins of incredible finesse. The Grahams Tawnies, from the basic ‘Fine Tawny’ upwards are utterly authentic – always exceeding the legal minimum standards for their ages. These are a revelation and classics of the style.
Winemakers: Charles Symington and Henry Shotton
Graham’s
VOL
*Limited **Gift-Boxed
Prats &
Symington
Douro, Portugal
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Prats & Symington was founded in 1999 as a joint venture between Bordeaux winemaker, Bruno Prats and the Symington family. It is an independent company specialising in dry red wines which has been at the forefront of the qualitative Douro DOC revolution and instrumental in driving the high-quality image of the region forward. The company owns two prime Douro estates, Quinta de Roriz and Quinta da Perdiz. Quinta de Roriz sits in a natural amphitheatre on the banks of the Douro, whilst Perdiz lies on a steep gradient on the other side of the same mountain in the Rio Torto Valley, which runs north-west into the main Douro Valley near Pinhão.
Both estates have a high proportion of the Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca varietals: 52% and 27% respectively for Quinta de Roriz, and 37% and 49 % respectively for Quinta da Perdiz. These are considered by Prats & Symington to be the varietals best suited to making outstanding Douro DOC. The top wine of the range, Chryseia, is widely considered one of the great Douro reds, consistently achieving outstanding reviews and scores in the international media. The 2011 vintage was considered the #3 best wine in the world for Wine Spectator in their Top Wines 2014 edition.
Wine Makers: Charles Symington & Bruno Pats
Prats & Symington
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