1966 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port

[Glenn E.]

1966 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port
6-hour decant

Color: Nice red color, fades evenly to the rim.
Nose: Soft, vanilla-like, faint mint, sweet cherry. Also some bubble gum. Reminds me of both Niepoort and Taylor.
Palate: Slightly bitter, slightly hot, slightly dry. Tannins are a bit faint, but acidity is good. Minty note carries to the palate. Also a bit of spice, but not as intense as I'd expect from a Taylor.
Finish: Apple juice, and late in the fade some apple skin. Pretty good length but just slightly short. The fade is pretty steep, but then it lingers.

Score: 93 points. All around a very nice Port. This was served blind. My initial feeling was a 1970 Niepoort but I knew that wasn't the case, so I guessed a 1963 Niepoort or Taylor. This Port was lighter and seemed more mature than the other one (a 1966 Dow), so it seemed that I should guess different years.

[Roy Hersh]

This was a very nice bottle and the first time I had ever had the SW66. As good as it was, Sean and I both agreed that it was even better the next night. Very solid and I was pleased to try this up against the 1966 Dow which we both liked a lot more the first night. The second night, the SW had improved, the Dow, not so much.

[David Spriggs]

Sounds like a fun tasting. Thanks for the notes!