1995 Smith Woodhouse Madalena Vintage Port

[Mike J. W.]

The cork came out easily and it decanted cleanly. I let it sit in the decanter for 11 1/2 hours before I had a glass although I did try a small sample as I usually do when I first decant a port. It smelled of black fruits like sweet blackberries and blueberries along with a whiff of alcohol. The sample tasted of those same sweet blackberries and blueberries as well as Welch's Concord Grape jelly. You could also taste the alcohol. It wasn't overbearing, it was just there.

At 11 1/2 hours I poured a glass. It was a dark, dark purple all the way to the edges. The first sip, I tasted the same fruit. The alcohol was a little more integrated, but not completely. Nonetheless, this was an easy drinker. The mouthfeel was medium to full and the legs on this were thick. It was sweet in the mouth, but the alcohol was still poking through. I thought it might just need a longer decant.

Day 2: More fully integrated, but the alcohol was still there. Sweet, thick blueberries and concord grapes were prevalent with a hint of cinnamon. This is very good, but still young at 27 years old.

Day 3: More of the same, a little smoother but still going strong. The alcohol never fully knits itself into the Port.

This is a very good Port that isn't quite ready for prime time. It only took me 3 days to polish off the bottle when normally I'll drink a bottle over 5 days. You can drink it now and it's good, but it's going to be a lot better in 5 to 7 years. Drink or hold, but it does have an easy 20 years life left in it. This will score a few points higher around the end of the decade, but for now, I give it 92 points