W. & J. Graham’s Tawny Port 10 Years Old in Holzkiste

This is Graham's 10 Year Old Tawny Port, a wood-aged Douro fortified wine from one of the founding houses of Vila Nova de Gaia, here offered in a large-format bottling within a wooden presentation case.

Tawny Port of this kind is blended from wines matured oxidatively in seasoned oak casks, the ten-year age statement reflecting the average age of the lots in the blend. Slow, gentle contact with air across a decade fades the youthful red colour toward amber and shifts the aromatics away from fresh fruit toward nut, honey and dried fruit, while the wine stays fortified to roughly 20% for balance and sweetness.

Expect a nose of toasted almond, dried fig and honey with a caramel edge, and a rounded, mellow palate carrying date, toffee and warm spice into a long finish. It serves best lightly chilled after dinner, and pairs naturally with dried fruit and nuts, hard and blue cheeses, or a coffee at the close of a meal.