Winemaker Notes
Inky blue-black in color, with signature mango and passion fruit aromas alongside orange blossom, mint and eucalyptus. Rich and layered, with brambly fruit, mocha, fine tannins and vibrant acidity. A magnificent Stone Terraces Vintage Port.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2024 The Stone Terraces Vintage Port is only the sixth declaration of this Vintage Port produced with grapes from specific plots in Quinta dos Malvedos, primarily a field blend, although there is a predominance of mature Touriga Nacional. There are also some small, relatively younger plantings of Touriga Franca, Sousão and Alicante Bouschet in the Port Arthur terraces. The grapes from these vines are often co-fermented (subject to their ripening dates overlapping to some degree) to enhance complexity, structure and freshness. They look for opulence with purity and refinement here. Right now, it's very dark and has exotic fruit aromas and some mintiness and a velvety palate with fine-grained tannins. It fermented in lagar with indigenous yeasts and matured in large oak vessels for 18 months. It started quite closed and austere. Charles commented, "It's the problem with very young wines; they miss behave." But there's great balance and a polished and sleek palate, with super fine tannins. It comes in at 20% alcohol, with a pH of 3.6 and 103 grams of sugar, slightly drier than the classical Graham's. But with plenty of time in the glass, it was the most aromatic, floral and refined of all the 2024s I tasted. More refined, less resiny, more elegant. Stunning. This is truly a super Graham's.
Range: 97-99 -
James Suckling
Very exuberant on the nose, with plenty of ripe and rich dark fruit and a stony texture. Voluptuous yet with definition in the finish, broad but also approachable. Very textured and stony.
Tradition, experience and knowledge spanning two centuries have given Graham’s the values that are at the heart of the company’s philosophy. The Graham family motto Ne Oublie (forget not or never forget) perfectly encapsulates the company’s commitment to the Douro Region, born of a deep respect for the past.
Founded in 1820, Graham’s produced some of the greatest Ports of the 20th century, amongst which the 1927, 1935, 1945, 1970 and 2000 Vintages. In 1970 the company changed ownership from the founding family to the Symingtons, who have themselves been Port producers since 1882, however through their Anglo-Portuguese great-grandmother, they can trace their Port heritage back to 1652. Graham’s owns some of the finest vineyards in the Douro Valley, one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The four properties are: Quinta dos Malvedos, Quinta do Tua, Quinta da Vila Velha and Quinta do Vale de Malhadas. Combined, these four mountain estates total 201 hectares of vineyards, located in different areas of the Upper Douro and the Douro Superior, each making distinctive wines that contribute to Graham’s singular character and style.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F. To learn more, see our full Port Wine Guide
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.