1988 Smith Woodhouse Madalena Vintage Port
Posted: 00:16 Wed 27 Jun 2007
I came across this in a local wine merchants - never heard of it before but at £17 seemed worth a punt....
Decanted cleanly off lots of thick black crust. Bright red with just a slight tinge of dark rust brown when entering the decanter - lots of big fruity aromas as I poured 8)
First Taste
Beautiful clear bright red in the glass wth just a hint of browning - a very attractive colour. Tears are thick and clear and the nose is quite young. A nice thickish mouthfeel with tons of red fruits. A small amount of heat after a few seconds fades quickly and develops into a decent long finish with watering cheeks.
Obviously fully mature - this is an impressive start.
+3 Hours
Darker now but still bright and clear. Mouth feel has thickened significantly. Black cherry and chocolate dominate but now seems a little tannic and dry in the middle. The small amount of heat is distracting for a few seconds but quickly fades into that nice long mouthwatering finish.
My first note said this is "obviously fully mature" - now I'm not so sure.
+27 Hours
A beautiful raspberry cream smell when pouring from the decanter. Darker and slightly more brown than I remember from yesterday. Lighter mouth feel but very smooth with a satisfying warmth. The dry tannins have gone now. Dark chocolate cherry truffle, slightly bitter and still has that nice long finish.
I like this very much and will be going back for more so that I can see how it evolves over time.
On Tom's scale, definately above average for my taste and ahead of most SQVP's I have tasted recently. Where is it going? I am no expert but my guess is that this is at its peak now but still has enough backbone to last at least 5 years before starting to fade.
Score: 7-6
Decanted cleanly off lots of thick black crust. Bright red with just a slight tinge of dark rust brown when entering the decanter - lots of big fruity aromas as I poured 8)
First Taste
Beautiful clear bright red in the glass wth just a hint of browning - a very attractive colour. Tears are thick and clear and the nose is quite young. A nice thickish mouthfeel with tons of red fruits. A small amount of heat after a few seconds fades quickly and develops into a decent long finish with watering cheeks.
Obviously fully mature - this is an impressive start.
+3 Hours
Darker now but still bright and clear. Mouth feel has thickened significantly. Black cherry and chocolate dominate but now seems a little tannic and dry in the middle. The small amount of heat is distracting for a few seconds but quickly fades into that nice long mouthwatering finish.
My first note said this is "obviously fully mature" - now I'm not so sure.
+27 Hours
A beautiful raspberry cream smell when pouring from the decanter. Darker and slightly more brown than I remember from yesterday. Lighter mouth feel but very smooth with a satisfying warmth. The dry tannins have gone now. Dark chocolate cherry truffle, slightly bitter and still has that nice long finish.
I like this very much and will be going back for more so that I can see how it evolves over time.
On Tom's scale, definately above average for my taste and ahead of most SQVP's I have tasted recently. Where is it going? I am no expert but my guess is that this is at its peak now but still has enough backbone to last at least 5 years before starting to fade.
Score: 7-6