Smith Woodhouse 20 Year Tawny Port, Douro, Portugal (750ml)   

   About the Icons
Smith Woodhouse is a specialist producer of premium quality Ports. The uniformity of this quality is underpinned by Smith Woodhouse’s own Madalena vineyard from where the wines are largely sourced. This small Quinta (vineyard property) 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 upriver in the Douro Superior, producing full and elegant wines, will gradually form an important component of Smith Woodhouse’s Ports.

THE WINE
The grapes are harvested in fall and are fermented for a short period of time before the addition of 100% grape spirit alcohol. This step stops the fermentation, preserves the wine’s natural grape sugars, and gives it it’s unique richness. The wine is then moved into oak casks for aging, where it spends at least 20 years. “20 Years” indicates an average age: it is a blend of older lots, which offer complexity and depth, and younger wine, which lend fresh fruit flavors and vibrancy.