2007 Graham's Vintage Porto

Terry post:

UPDATED WITH PHOTOS.

It was some weeks ago that the braver Johnson brother endured several low-priced port wine offerings to disastrous results. I recall that he had to open another bottle of wine to clear the long lingering effects of the overly-sweet drain cleaner which he'd sampled.

Truth be told: many low-priced port offerings are nothing but bulk wine which has been fortified with a little additional alcohol and sweetener. So, I offer my respects to Brad for his personal sacrifice, and taking one for the team.

So imagine my surprise when I stopped by Restaurant 213 last Friday. Chef Hughes says, "You gotta try this!" In his hands was a bottle of the Graham's 2007 Vintage Porto. He pulled a couple

red wine glasses from the bar and poured a short serving in each glass: one for him and one for me.

My impressions: Nearly black in color as it ever-so-slowly pours from the bottle. Raisins, cocoa, prunes and ripe fruit on the nose. Intense fruit perfectly balanced - not too sweet - with the tannins for an other-worldy sensation in the mouth. Extraordinarily mouth-filling. Long, long, long finish whose warmth stayed with me for HOURS afterwards. Epic.

This wine is being handled carefully by it's distributors with maximum allocations going to even the finest restaurants. It is available now and if you want to know what a perfect porto tastes like, be prepared to pay upwards of $80 for the privilege (available here). Buy it. You'll thank me later.

Perhaps the best wine I have ever tasted.

~ Terry

Humble Drinking Today and Tomorrow's Desires

Terry Post:

A friend at work who knows my fondness for fine wine asked me what I'd been drinking lately. I found myself slightly embarrassed as I'd not really tasted anything noteworthy for quite awhile. My drinking has been limited to some very humble, low priced offerings since giving up my position as Wine Director for Restaurant 213.

The question did get me to thinking: What would I like to drink if I had the choice? In the old days, I would taste whatever the wine reps brought by placing me at their disposal. Granted, their offerings were often good and occasionally sensational. Yet, it does beg the question. What would I like to drink?

1. French Champagne. I know, I know it sounds really vague but I have NEVER been disappointed when I opened a bottle of the real French stuff. The humble Moet & Chandon White Star is a reliable mid-priced Champagne which has never disappointed me. Nor, for that matter, has it overwhelmed me. I have been overwhelmed with the fragrent, sumptuous Krug brand. On more than one occasion I have shared a small sip of a horrifically expensive bottle of their vintage stuff and was floored by the difference. Careful: There is a Krug brand in California: this ain't the REAL stuff. The French Krug is most definitely the REAL stuff.

2. 1986 Cabernet Sauvignons from California. I had my personal wine awakening in 1984 while stationed in San Diego in the Navy. I visited Napa Valley several times while living in America's Finest City and each time I sampled products from different wineries and always falling back to the bold California red. It may very well be that 1986 was not a great year for California cabs, but it was a great year for me and I continue to hold the memories of those first reds in my mind. Principle among them: Monticello Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Jefferson Cuvee, and Grgich Hills Cabernet Sauvignon. I bought two cases each of these 86's and they endured until 1998 when I finished the last bottle of the Monticello Cellars in my back yard that May night before we started our drive East. It was a great wine at, or near, it's peak.

3. Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. The hard-core French White wine fans will find it difficult to understand why I'd put these two wines in the same category. Well, it is simple really: I can't tell the difference between them and I find them to be day-in and day-out simply the finest white wines on the planet. There is almost something magical about them as they warm in the glass until the steely backbone is softened with flowers and butter.

So, that is it. My desires are not too special and all that I want to drink are the finest Champagnes, Reds and Whites the planet has to offer. But, for the moment I have glass of Black Box Chardonnay sitting next to me demanding my attention.

~ Terry