I used a Houdini to extract the cork. It was perfectly intact. This bottle had two capsules, separated by the tag which had bore no evidence of seepage. Upon uncorking, the overwhelming scent was chocolate milk. I decanted for 5-6 hours. It probably wasn't enough time, as it was still a bit hot last night before I gave up and went to bed. Tannins were pretty strong last night, also. Tonight, different story. Nose was floral, everything was integrated so nicely. If I hadn't oh so mildly scalded my tongue on my TV dinner earlier, this would have been a complete experience.
What kills me is that I paid $35 for this bottle this past weekend and I was set to return and back up the truck, so to speak. Alas, someone scooped all of the remaining 19 bottles the day after I bought my one bottle to try. I didn't have a ton of experience with this shop, and the previous $30 bargain I tried from them wasn't too exciting (no need to provide names and a note, with all due respect to the producer), so I was glad I didn't load up on that one. I employed the same strategy here and got burned. Oh, what could have been.
1985 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
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Eric Menchen
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Re: 1985 Smith Woodhouse VP
I would grab any of the 1977, 1983, or 1985 SW for $35 each. Anything up to around $60 is a good price for the '83 and '85.
The 1977 SW I recently opened also had two capsules. The inner one was a yellow-gold plastic, then the selo, then an outer metal capsule in blue. The bottle was more recently released from their cellars, as it had the multi-colored label and even their web address on the back.
The 1977 SW I recently opened also had two capsules. The inner one was a yellow-gold plastic, then the selo, then an outer metal capsule in blue. The bottle was more recently released from their cellars, as it had the multi-colored label and even their web address on the back.