For Churchill, Life begins again at Forty
Churchill Graham was a ‘start up’ forty years ago, the first new Port shipper for half-a-century when the company was launched in 1981. Founder Johnny Graham introduced the next generation to assembled trade and scribes earlier this year in the appropriate setting of Bar Douro in London belonging to Johnny’s son Max. His daughter Zoe and son-in-law Ben Himowitz used the fortieth anniversary of the company to refresh the Churchill brand and packaging. But before all that Johnny Graham, one of six generations of the Graham family in the Port business, stated his philosophy when it comes to the wines. When it comes to Port his emphasis has always been on producing wines in ‘a drier style with minimum intervention’. The wines shouldn’t be over-extracted (a big fault with some producers these days) and should show ‘purity of fruit’. You can see how the wines taste below but on to the brand refresh. The new look to Churchill is all about ‘beautiful minimalism’ with hallmarks the crown representing ‘independent spirit’, the rook from the remarkable finials on the lagares at Quinta da Gricha, the shell for ‘future legacy’ and the dog represents ‘fun’. There is a new wine, Grafite, a Douro red with new varietal range of wines all in environmentally conscious light weight bottles. I am including notes on the Douro wines with the Ports below. Some of the wines below (marked with a #) were shown at the tasting others, came from a tasting that I did on my own last year for an article in The World of Fine Wine Magazine entitled ‘Churchill at Forty’. These include Churchill’s first Douro red (2005) and first declared vintage Port (1982).
# Churchill Douro Branco 2020 ***
From a hot year with grapes grown at high altitude around Murça on the northern margins of the Douro region: gentle creamy-peachy style, quite traditional with 30% aged for 6 months in oak. Shows fruit rather than oak on the finish. 15
# Churchill Douro Tinto 2019 ***
Deep in colour with lovely open, ripe, spicy aromas, expressive; berry and plum fruit with spicy tannins but some woody flavours underlying. V. Douro in style 15.5
# Grafite, Douro, Tinta Roriz 2019 ***/****
A varietal wine from Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) which is widely planted in the Douro, not the most prized of grapes for Port but coming into its own for Douro reds: tight-knit menthol and wild berry character backed by firm, gravelly tannins, again very Douro in style yet quite restrained. 15.5
# Grafite, Douro, Touriga Nacional 2014 ****
Another varietal, this time from one of the leading Port grapes and with some bottle age: restrained floral fruit (TN on its own can sometimes be too aromatic but this isn’t); soft, supple with leathery complexity and good purity of fruit, having aged well in bottle. Nicely defined. 17
# Grafite, Douro, Grande Reserva 2014 ****
From old vines, aged in 500 litre new French oak: still very deep in colour with lovely ripe, heady minty fruit on the nose; similarly dense on the palate, ripe cherry and plum fruit, broad ripe tannins and a long, ripe heady finish. Developed well in bottle. 17.5
Churchill, Quinta da Gricha, Douro 2005 ****
The first Douro red from Gricha, made in an abnormally hot, dry year: retaining a bright youthful colour; ripe and leathery in character with fresh yet structured berry fruit building in the mouth leading to a complete finish with ripe, Port-like concentration offset by good acidity. Still standing up really well after 16 years. 17.5
# Churchill’s Dry White Port ****
Mostly Malvasia Fina, alongside Códega, Rabigato and Viosinho, foot trodden and fermented on the skins and aged in cask for nearly ten years before bottling: old gold in colour with a nutty-white pepper character on the nose, rich and slightly honeyed (40 g/l residual sugar) with a touch of dried apricot and peppery spice returning on the finish. Lovely on its own, with a twist of lemon peel or as a long summer drink with tonic (served with a sprig of mint). Will keep for a month or more in the fridge after opening. 17.5
# Churchill’s Ten Year Old Tawny ****
Aged for 3- 4 years in large oak vats then in smaller lodge pipes: good brick red to tawny hue; gentle fruit cake aromas with soft, creamy – spicy summer fruit, fresh and well balanced, deliberately slightly drier than some avoiding any cloying sweetness on the finish. 18
# Churchill’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port *****
Pale brick-red to amber in hue, seductive fresh summer fruit on the nose with just a touch of toffee and savoury complexity, delicate and refined; gloriously soft and creamy in texture with a vestigial dusting of tannin, freshness and verve playing on a long, lingering finish. Seemingly quite dry in style with great balance and poise overall. 19
# Churchill’s 30 Year Old Tawny ****
Gentle mid-amber to tawny in hue; open and beautifully refined on the nose, dreid fruit alongside brazil nut and toffee complexity; dried apricot and spice, savoury sweet and similarly refined, combining freshness with the complexity of age. 18
# Churchill’s Reserve Ruby ****/*****
A remarkable wine for the ‘reserve’ catagory, made entirely from ‘grade A’ grapes, foot trodden and aged for 3 – 4 years in large oak vats and stainless steel before bottling: mid-deep, youthful crimson colour; lovely fresh, expressive aromas with vibrant, peppery fruit both of the nose and palate, bright with lovely purity and definition. 18.5
# Churchill’s Late Bottled Vintage 2017 ****
Bottled without filtration at about 4 years old then given bottle age before release: still youthful in colour with ripe, tight knit aromas and flavours, hint of graphite on the nose, ripe and plummy, sweet and well-structured but with a slightly hot edge, perhaps reflecting the heat of the year. 17.5
#Churchill’s Crusted Port (bottled 2014) ****
Blended from Vintage Port lotes of two different years, aged in casks, then kept in bottle for at least 3 years before being sold (decant this and serve as you would a Vintage Port): mid-deep in colour though still youthful crimson on the rim; bitter-sweet cherry and plum aromas and flavours backed by firm gravelly tannins leading to a long firm but gentle dry finish. 17.5
Churchill, Quinta da Gricha 2018 ****
From predominantly north facing vines with an average of around 80 years: lovely aromas redolent of ripe plums, dark milk chocolate and a touch of kirsch; very pure, ripe, berry fruit with firm, stoney tannins that rise in the mouth, leading to a long, firm linear finish. Shows wonderful verve and definition. A triumph from Churchill: just 454 cases produced (8% of the estate’s total production in 2018). 18
Churchill’s 2017 Vintage Port ****
An exceptional year in the Douro where dry conditions produced powerful yet fresh-tasting wines: good deep youthful colour; tight knit on the nose with underlying ripe damson fruit and dusty tannins; firm and bold initially with lovely berry fruit emerging on the palate and spicy tannic grip, quite dry and refined in style (typically Churchill?) with a long sinewy finish. Drink from 2030. 18
Churchill’s 1982 Vintage Port ****
Churchill’s first declared vintage and a hot year in the Douro. A blend from three Cima Corgo estates belonging it the Borges de Sousa family: Agua Alta, Manuela and Fojo. Mid-deep, brick red centre, turning tawny on the rim; not especially aromatic but graceful berry fruit and fully mature; soft and velvety initially, a hint of damson with a touch of tannic spice mid-palate and a lingering mellow finish. Not a wine to keep for much longer: enjoy now and over the next five years. 16
