2003 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

Opened while online with Jeff and Josh for the Leap Day Virtual Port Tasting. Pop-n-Pour at 8:30 pm.

2003 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port

Color: Very dark, but not opaque. More red that purple... a very dark ruby color.
Nose: A bit spirity, lots of dark red fruits. Possibly some dates. Also possibly some very faint smoke.
Palate: Thin in the mouth, but tasty. Rich grape-like flavor with some dark and very ripe red raspberries. The tannins only seem adequate for a 2003, while the acidity is good.
Finish: Good length, but not stellar. Flavors echo the palate. The finish is very clean with no stem or skin intruding.

Score: 91 points. While initially somewhat unimpressive, it ultimately won me over as a very drinkable but still reasonably complex VP. If this bottle is representative I don't think I'd keep them for too long as I get the feeling they won't age for 30-40 years, but they're well worth the $42 I paid. With more air time (this bottle was pop-n-pour) it might also gain some depth and earn another point.

[Janet Ainsworth]

They're selling this in the Seattle market for under $30--I've seen it at Esquin and at Wine World. Sounds like that's a good deal, based on your notes.

[Eric Menchen]

Yes, under $30 is a great deal. I have some that I thought was a bargain at $35.

[Glenn E.]

Yes, at $30 it's a steal. Like I said I paid $42 for mine and consider that a fair price.

FWIW - I tried this again 2 days later hoping that it might have gained a little weight, but it did not. But really, aside from feeling a little thin in the mouth, this is a really nice and very drinkable Port. I have had better experiences with it in the past, especially with regard to the body weight and the tannins, so this might just be a very slightly off bottle.