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While waiting for you to seal the fate of the Muscat, I was minded to casually tackle a lone Smith Woodhouse LBV - until it occurred to me that this bottle is perhaps a bit special.

It's a 1982, and clearly states on the label that it is both unfiltered and bottle matured. Rather surprisingly, there appears to be a stopper under the foil.

Does anyone have an older unfiltered LBV?

One of the questions surrounding this class of wine is how they will evolve over time - maybe I should leave it few more years.

The bottle itself is pristine, and came as part of a small mixed lot that included a Roriz LBV cask sample. The original owner was therefore probably associated with the trade in some way.

Tom

Why wont there be older ones? Is that when Unfiltered LBV's started?

I recently had a Croft 1983 Filtered LBV that was a touch over the hill, but still quite tasty and I really enjoyed it.

Conky,

The unfiltered LBV is a relatively recent notion - I thought it was conceived in the late seventies, but I've not seen a bottle earlier than this one.

Some VP that was bottled late for some reason - 'unintentional' LBV - probably exists, and was probably unfiltered - but I don't know of any surviving bottles.

I will qualify my query - any 'intentional' unfiltered LBV's...

Tom

I need to wait until I get home but I think I have an Unfiltered Kopke LBV 1982.

There is also the issue of pre 1970 VP bottlings to consider here. It was not uncommon for VP shipped in cask to be bottled late and still sold as VP. These were really the first traditional LBVs to be released, even though no one realised it at the time.

I am curious on this too. I bet the Warre's and Noval LBV could age for some time, but I am on the fence how long Ferreira's LBV can go.

I've had a Guedes 1967 LBV that I believe was unfiltered, and I know that the oldest LBV on the market it a Ramos Pinto (1927 if I'm not mistaken). I'm quite sure that's unfiltered too.

I have a Niepoort LBV 1975 which I believe to be unfiltered.

Derek