1998 Smith Woodhouse Madalena
Posted: 22:57 Sun 19 May 2019
The cork crumbled to dust before it was willing to let go of the bottle. Dark in colour, not much bricking or browning at the rim. A big nose of fruit and tar which was very persistent. Initially a bit hollow in the mid section of the palate, this filled out over about four hours. Nice dark fruits and a good length. The alcohol a bit hot, but this is a quibble rather than a full blown fault. Sweet and sticky with good balancing acidity and tannins. I very much like this wine. It is good now but will doubtless improve for a few years yet. I think this is a little better than the '88 Madalena at the same stage in life as it is a bit more tight and upright. I seem to be increasingly obsessed with price and at £22/bottle this is very good value. I would give it a slightly generous 89 points.