2003 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port -- (375)

Frederick Blais · Post by **Frederick Blais** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:20 pm

Another half bottle is my victim tonight :)

Obviously a deep purple color, the nose is expressive but simple on crushed plums and strawberry jam, some light spices were adding on with time. The mouth is very smooth, you really don't feel the tannins, very balanced, nothing agressive, full of jammy black fruits and field berries, nice acidity. The finish was short though. Overall a very well made VP but not as complex and concentrated in its youth as the top one from this Vintage. 16.5/20

Post by **Roy Hersh** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:16 pm

Very well written Fred. I am enjoying watching the progression in your TNs and applaud this effort. The SW is a solid effort and an excellent QPR VP from 2003, although I agree it does not break into the upper echelon of Ports from this fine vintage.

Frederick Blais · Post by **Frederick Blais** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 2:04 pm

Thank you Roy, it is much appreciated. The difficulty for me was and is still to learn all terminology in English. Yet the SW is not one of the great 2003 in its youth you never know how it will gain complexity with age and may turn out one of the great. This is why I'm not a fan of putting marks in wine that change so much with time, this is why I'm putting marks for the pleasure it gives me right now. This could be a good topic for a debate.

Richard Henderson · Post by **Richard Henderson** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:26 pm

The youngest I ever drank was a 1985 Graham circa 1989. It was entirely too young and wild. Half bottles sound better to me , but I find the concentration just a little too much in a VP that young.
Good notes and if you want to commit statutory grape and you like the wine, se la vis!

Tom Archer · Post by **Tom Archer** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 3:49 pm

statutory grape? - or should it be paedoportophilia??

- such a poor little bottle, with tender ambitions to gracefully gather dust in a nice cool cellar, violated and consumed by her greedy master -

Ok, Fred, I'll buy it - you're a nice guy really!

Tom

Frederick Blais · Post by **Frederick Blais** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:27 pm

It was a half bottle and you know my philosophie with them :) I have one in the cellar and its only because it is a collection one. I'll put my TN for a Barros 1994 and it was tasting more like a colheita 94 than a VP 94 :?