A study in Tawny

A study in Tawny – The Graham’s Cellar Master’s Trilogy

‘It’s no use worrying about time’ – Frank O’Hara … who clearly never had to look after Tawny Port.

Time is one of fine wine’s great ingredients.

Few industries – and far fewer in the world of food and drink – deal with something designed to be enjoyed years, possibly decades, after it has been made.

Besides the academic and sensory pleasure, it can be easy to forget – especially for those of us lucky enough to work in the industry – the sheer, ineffable magic of drinking a wine whose grapes were picked years ago.

Something which has slumbered in cask and bottle through the slow, slow, transformative creep of years; its flavours shifting, its textures softening in a metamorphosis from youthful boisterousness into something of richness and breadth, with layers to slowly unpick through long, contemplative hours.

Magic – yes, unquestionably. Wine’s ace in the hole.

And few wines conjure it as compellingly as Single Harvest Tawny Port. Which brings us to the Graham’s Cellar Master’s Trilogy.

Single Harvest Tawny

Single Harvest Tawny Port is not only one of the great Port styles – it’s one of the most inimitable, distinctive and extraordinary wines full stop.

Not merely in the capturing of a single vintage – but in the paradoxical preservation and transfiguration of that vintage’s essence through astonishing time in cask. Time that almost no other wines could survive – but which burnish the character of Single Harvest Tawny with new-found hues of depth and complexity.

Single Harvest Tawny – as are all styles and ages of Tawny – is a Graham’s speciality.  And the Cellar Master’s Trilogy is one of the highest celebrations of that tradition.

Three unique wines selected from outstanding individual harvest years. All from ‘A’ grade vineyards, selected for their excellence by Head Winemaker and Master Blender Charles Symington, and released in eye-wateringly small batches.

(To be clear, since ‘small batch’ is used to death these days – the sum-total of the 1961 ‘The Master’ came from just half a cask).

Generational Port making

The trilogy doesn’t merely celebrate three remarkable – and exceptionally rare – vintages. It exists to pay homage to the skills, experience and craftsmanship honed over generations at Graham’s to perfect these Tawny Ports.

Only released every few years, always in a new trio of vintages – only nine cases of the current edition remain.

The Apprentice, 1997. Odd to call a wine almost 30 years old ‘the young one’ of the group, but by comparison with its stablemates it captures the beginning of the journey. Fitting that, at the time of its harvest, Charles Symington was apprenticed to his father, Peter.

The Artisan, 1974. A pivotal year for Portugal, when a coup overthrew the dictatorship, establishing democracy. Due to the political turbulence of the time, Peter Symington chose not to bottle a Vintage Port – despite an exceptional growing year. The 50 years of artisans who have watched over the casks that held this wine have ensured it now enjoys the recognition its quality deserved.

The Master, 1961 – Only half a cask to satisfy the world. Three generations of Master Blenders have watched over it in that time across seven decades. Meticulously chosen by Charles Symington for limited release as ‘The Master’. The essence of an iconic era and a lineage of craft that has stood the test of time.

Journey in time by glass

There’s so much more to share about these unrepeatable wines – so for any further information you might like, simply drop us a line, and we’ll put you in touch with our dedicated Port team.

But of course the best place to learn more about the Cellar Master’s Trilogy is from the people who made them. Follow the link to discover their whole remarkable story. Just remember – there are only nine cases left of the current edition.

In short: after almost seven decades, time will soon run out.