TN: 1988 Smith Woodhouse Madalena Vintage Port

[Al B.]

Decant: 16 hours double decanted - Mid-red colour, slightly darker than the Dow 1983 tasted at the same time; colour showing a little development in the bottle. Nose dominated at first by mint and alcohol, some tones of reductibe aging - some toffee and strawberry ice cream. Lovely thick texture in the mouth; subdued impact, quite dry with cherry stones and ripe vistoria plums. The tannins are still present although masked behind layers of fruit. The aftertaste is enormous, it starts immediately and grows massively with lots of coffee, cherry black chocolate and complexity. This is a huge wine that is not yet ready for drinking and needs at least another 5 years in the bottle. Very good today but will be much, much better in 10 years. 7/8. 92 points