Community Tasting Notes 8

• kfrench150 Likes this wine: 92 points

  December 30, 2020 - Lots of chunky sediment to decant off. Almost completely opaque black cherry cola colour. Quite fresh on the nose with black and red fruits, pine tar, cola and cedar. Thick and rich, sweet and spirited, tannic and tart, full bodied and long. This has a lot going on for it! Nicely integrated, yet still very young tasting. None of those mature nutty, raising or rancio notes. This is still all dark, ripe and rich fruitiness. Black cherry, tar, licorice, spice and mascerated plums. Excellent balance! Quite mouth coating and lingering on the finish. This still has a long life ahead of it!

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• forceberry wrote: 92 points

  November 11, 2017 - Lots of sediment here. Keeping the bottle upright for a day or two beforehand and careful decanting heartily recommended.
  
  Quite deep and intense black cherry color, almost completely translucent. Surprisingly green-toned nose with subtle aromas of dark yet somewhat sappy berries, pine forest and pine needles and hints of tomato leaves, followed by more traditional, sweet aromas of very ripe dark berries, some crunchy forest fruits, light blackcurrant jam character, floral hints of wild rosemary and a touch of plum compote. The wine feels full-bodied still surprisingly dense and tightly-knit and somewhat hot on the palate, yet not particularly extracted - the high alcohol actually seems to "thin" and lighten the mouthfeel of the wine. There are intense flavors of blackberry jam, sour cherry marmalade, some overripe blackcurrant, a little bit of spicy bitterness and a hint of graphite. The acidity is well in balance with the body and the tannins seem to be getting pretty much resolved and smooth at this point. The finish is quite firm and noticeably drier than the midpalate with long and rather savory flavors of peppery spice, graphite, some crunchy dark berries, a little bit of astringent chokeberries and a touch of ripe plums.
  
  A smooth, elegant and enjoyable off-vintage Single-Quinta Vintage Port that has started to resolve nicely with age. When I tasted this wine more or less exactly 7 years back, it was much more imposing with very firm tannins and pronounced spicy character. Now the tannins start to be getting quite soft and smooth, but curiously the fruit has also receded a bit to reveal some more sappy, slightly green-toned aromas, which give the nose a slightly odd, piney edge. Still, a very nice effort and although the wine seems to be peaking soon, there is no hurry to open these bottles yet. Drinking beautifully now and will keep good for the next 8-10 years. Terrific value at 31,89€.

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• Jyri Tynkkynen Likes this wine: 90 points

  December 17, 2016 - Decanted 24 hours prior the tasting. Nothing boombastic yet a very drinkable wine. Well integrated tannins, sugars and alcohol. Nice spicey aromas, dried fruits and very ripe black berries. Will benefit from further cellaring, so no rush to consume.

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• RayOB wrote: 88 points

  November 23, 2015 - Drank at Pied a Terre
  Rich complex nose and palate. Slight alcohol noticeable.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

• Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 points

  July 17, 2015 - A private lunch (Restaurant Kitty Fisher's, Mayfair, London, UK): Charming, sweet, soft, plums and spices, nice alcoholic kick, resolved tannins, good flavours and length.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 1996
• Type Red - Fortified
• Producer Smith Woodhouse
• Varietal Port Blend
• Designation Madalena Vintage
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Portugal
• Region Douro
• SubRegion n/a
• Appellation Porto
• UPC Codes 094799030553, 5010867502673

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 67 (62%)
• Consumed 41 (38%)

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