Smith Woodhouse Late Bottled Vintage Port

Smith Woodhouse is one of the only producers to craft a Traditional Bottle-Matured Late Bottled Vintage Port. The uniformity of this quality is underpinned by the winery’s own Madalena vineyard from where the wines are largely sourced. This small Quinta has the highest “A” quality rating and is located in the Rio Torto district, acknowledged as one of the finest Port growing areas. Over the coming years, the recently acquired Quinta do Vale Coelho (further up-river in the Douro Superior), which produces full and elegant wines, will gradually form an important component of Smith Woodhouse’s Ports. The grapes are harvested in the fall and are fermented for a short period of time before the addition of 100% grape spirit alcohol. This step stops fermentation, preserves the wine’s natural grape sugars, and gives it its unique richness. The wine is aged for four years in cask, then bottled unfiltered and aged for a minimum of five more years before its release. Viticultural and Weather Conditions: Generally, a good vintage yielding dark and well structured wines... The mild winter temperatures resulted in an early budburst but cool spring weather brought flowering on at the usual time in good conditions in May, and we looked set for a larger than usual harvest. Extreme heat in June put paid to that expectation in lower lying areas, however, as young bunches were exposed to heat and sun without a mature canopy to protect them. The balance of the summer was pleasant, with useful rainfall.