Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port, 2016

Vintage Port - 6x75cl Bottle Case
IN-BOND* PRICE

Description and Reviews:



*** 96 Points James Suckling ***

DELIVERY EARLY 2019

Reviews

"This is extremely floral with dark fruit and plum character. Full-bodied, very tight and focused. It's a complete young vintage Port that is great from start to finish. Rio Torto fruit makes this great! Better in 2022. James Suckling


The Symington family, the owner of Smith Woodhouse, is pleased to announce that it has decided to declare the 2016 Vintage, just the third Vintage Port release from Smith Woodhouse in the last decade. As in previous Vintage Port declarations, this is a very small bottling and represents the very best production from Smith Woodhouse’s own Quinta da Madalena vineyard. Smith Woodhouse has a long association with one of the Douro Valley’s finest areas, the Rio Torto Valley, from where it has traditionally sourced grapes for its premium wines, particularly for its Vintage Ports. As a specialist producer, Smith Woodhouse possesses an in-depth knowledge of this area’s terroirs, and the core of its wines come from the Madalena vineyard, set in the very heart of the Rio Torto. The maturation pattern in the Torto Valley is typically later than in most of the other areas of the Douro region, bringing about an extended ripening cycle, which produces very well balanced wines with superb aromas and great finesse.

Harvest Report
Due to the cool, wet spring in 2016, flowering and veraison were both delayed, the latter by two weeks when compared to the previous year. The vines’ ripening cycle started quite late and was slowed further by very high summer temperatures and the absence of rain, both of which combined to reduce the pace of maturations. Smith Woodhouse’s Madalena vineyard coped well in these extreme conditions, and the well-developed roots of its ancient mixed vines were able to access subsoil water reserves created by the wet winter and spring. This was critical for the ability of the heat-stressed vines to sustain maturations, although only just. In mid-September much hoped for rain, in the right amount, came to the rescue putting maturations back on track and laying the ground for the balanced development of sugar, acidity and phenolics.
The Smith Woodhouse 2016 Vintage Port is entirely based on the Madalena vineyard, primarily from the field blend of very old mixed vines. They cover just over half of the vineyard’s 17 hectares, and in 2016, the yields of these Vinhas Velhas were exceptionally low, a meagre 200 grams per vine, practically one bunch from each vine. The remarkable depth and complexity of the wine reflect the concentration and structure provided by these grapes. The remainder of Madalena is planted with Touriga Franca, a late ripening variety, well suited to the conditions of the Rio Torto area where typically the crop takes longer to ripen. This component from Madalena, the Vinha das Flores — true to its name — provides distinctive floral aromas of violets and rockrose.
This was one of the latest starting vintages of recent years, even by Rio Torto standards. Picking only began at Madalena on September 28th, starting with the Vinhas Velhas and then moving on to the Vinha das Flores. The harvest took place under perfect blue sky conditions and moderate temperatures, with warm days and cool nights. It became evident from the outset of the vintage, judging by the superb quality of the grapes reaching the winery, that the long wait since the 2011 Vintage declaration was, in all likelihood, finally over.


Tasting Note:
Aromas suggesting bergamot and tea-leaf, as well as floral aromas of rockrose and violets. Substantial on the palate, showing ripe, black fruit and liquorice. The seamless, peppery tannins give freshness and excellent structure.


Grape variety percentages:
· Touriga Nacional – 62%
· Touriga Franca – 21%
· Sousão – 9%
· Alicante Bouschet – 8%


Wine Specification:
· Alcohol by volume – 20% v/v (20oC)
· Total acidity – 4.26 (g/l)
· Baumé – 3.7
· Bottled during May 2018 with no filtration
· Winemakers: Charles Symington


ALSO AVAILABLE DUTY PAID AT £240 PER CASE

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