1995 Smith Woodhouse LBV Port

[Lamont Huxley]

Unfiltered, bottled in 1999. Decanted off only a small bit of sediment. I've been sipping on this over the past 4 days and am just finishing it up.

Deep, dark, purplish burgundy - still looks quite young. The nose was great right out of the bottle but it was at its best after sitting in the decanter overnight. The fragrant bouquet of blueberry, cherry, raspberry and chocolate really pours out of the glass. Even sitting on the couch with my glass on the end table about 4 feet away I was still catching big wafts of fruit. Lots of sweet, ripe berry fruit on the palate as well with some peppery heat in the middle that has slowly faded more each day. The tannins are ripe and smooth, the acidity is bright and fresh and the finish lingers with sweet fruit. Top notch LBV that's drinking beautifully but certainly has many years ahead of it. 92/93 pts, Tasted 12/11

[Roy Hersh]

I don't know if you read my LBV article, but this came in 5th place and I liked it a bunch. For grins, here was my TN on the same Port for comparison/contrast purposes:

1995 Smith Woodhouse Late Bottled Vintage Port - (Unfiltered; bottled 1999) An additional four years of aging took place after bottling and prior to release. Featuring an inky ruby core belying the age of this Port. The essence of grape and dark fruits provides a hint that this is a very youthful LBV. The palate offered intricate nuances of black cherry, tar, peppery spice and brambly blackberry, while the mid-palate was crammed with flavor. Dense, focused and primary with a silken texture that would have most believing it was a fine teenage Vintage Port. I revisited the 1995 over the course of two weeks and it never lost a step. A classy LBV that is sure to drink well through 2020, or beyond. Plenty of poise and palate presence -- one of the best of the 25 LBV’s I tasted for this report. 93+ points 10/25/10 (Premium Port Wines, LLC)