The dead of winter and my thoughts turn toward a warming measure of port. We inherited a case of it after Bobby's Uncle Jimmy died almost eight years ago, and we still have a few bottles left. It's the 1985 Smith Woodhouse Vintage Port, and I have loved every drop over the years. It's definitely the most expensive wine I drink on a regular basis (it retails for about $90 a bottle).This wine wasn't exactly stored properly before we received it -- the corks must basically be shredded to get inside -- and then there is the straining and decanting. Every bottle has had a few tablespoons of sediment. But it's been delicious anyway, despite the abuse.
Here's one review of the wine from around the time I first tasted it:
Wine International, October 2003
Gold Medal – International Wine Challenge 2003
“At nearly 20 years old, this Smith Woodhouse’85 still has plenty of life in it. It still has masses of ripe berries and ‘fruits confits,’ as a French judge put it, as well as maturing caramel and burnt sugar flavors. It is stunningly complex and has huge length.”
I think it's only improved since then.
