1977 Smith Woodhouse

[Alex Bridgeman]

One of the magnums bought ex-cellars in 2010 and stored in bond until a few weeks prior to being opened. Brick red and mature in appearance. Sweet and dusty black cherries on the nose, with a twist of basil. Poised entry, sweet and fragrant black cherries on the palate with a great volume of fruit. Fruit dominated, but with great balance; the tannins are soft and well integrated but the acidity provides a lovely counter-point to the sweetness of the fruit. Terrific palate with a charcoal essence coming through late. The aftertaste is big and fruit dominated. The aftertaste is long and comes in several layers, not the least of which is the charcoal and cherry toffee on the finish. This is great port, but still very young and very sweet. Very enjoyable. 91/100. Drunk 03-Sep-16. Decanted 1 hour.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I've been sipping away at this for the last 2 hours now and it's getting better and better. It's so delicious that I just can't stop refilling the glass!

[LGTrotter]

I've been sipping away at this for the last 2 hours now and it's getting better and better. It's so delicious that I just can't stop refilling the glass!

The sign of a top port for me. Or possibly a top thirst. All of a sudden the bottle is empty, but I have never tried the experiment with a magnum. Respect.

I love reading how good this port is, it renews my struggle to resist the urge to open one. A nice personal battle. Not yet.

[Andy Velebil]

I really love this VP, especially from Magnum where it's still showing more youthfulness than 750's of it. Very different styled than Gould Campbell or other SFE VP's