1984 Smith Woodhouse LBV Port

[Andy Velebil]

cross posted from the January 2010 Virtual Tasting.

Bottled in 1988 according to the cork. This was an ex-cellars release and had the new style Smith Woodhouse label on it. The cork, as the picture shows, is in great shape with only some slight staining on the very bottom edge. A perfect fill level and just goes to show that provenance is everything.

The color has no doubt faded a bit since it was bottled as it's now a light ruby. Although the light and simple bright red fruit and cinnamon on this is showing it's age there is a lovely amount of acidity keeping this fresh on the tongue. There are some tannins just barely noticeable and there is no doubt this old LBV is showing its age. The acidity on the finish again keeps this fresh and helps temper a bit of heat. I would guess this was probably at its best 5-8 years ago, but still offers an enjoyable drink today.
01/25/10
85 points