1986 Smith Woodhouse Colheita (bottled 2006)

[Glenn E.]

I opened this bottle for contrast after the first night (of four) with my recent round of 2007 Vintage Ports. Overall, this bottle showed much nicer than the first, which probably means that a 3-4 hour decant is necessary for best showing since the two bottles came from the same store. (The first bottle was a pop-n-pour.)

The 2007s in question:

2007 Graham Vintage Port
2007 Vesuvio Vintage Port
2007 Martinez Vintage Port

1986 Smith Woodhouse Colheita
Bottled in 2006.

Color: Medium dark tawny with some red left. The red almost shows more as orange than a deep Port-like red.
Nose: Some varnish, some orange, and some late soft vanilla. Mildly madeirized. Recently cut (i.e. wet) oak.
Palate: Soft oak, toasted brown sugar, citrus, and a light confectioner's sugar note. Candied dried apricots. Very pleasantly drinkable. A tiny bit warm.
Finish: Slightly tart to start, but fades rapidly into brown sugar and oak with citrus and dried apricot overtones. Decent length - about 30 seconds.

Score: 92 points. Close in quality to the three 2007s, but not quite on par. Some days I would probably prefer this, other days I'd go for the VPs. I can think of several VPs and LBVs that I've rated in the 90-91 range, and in most cases I think I'd prefer to drink another glass of this.