- Colour Port_Sweet
- Producer Dow
- Region Port
- Grape Touriga Nacional / Tinta Roriz / Tinta Barroca
- Drinking 2033 - 2062
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available Now
2017 - Dow's - 6x75cl
- Colour Port Sweet
- Producer Dow
- Region Port
- Grape Touriga Nacional / Tinta Roriz / Tinta Barroca
- Drinking 2033 - 2062
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available Now
Select pricing type
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuis.com.
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Goedhuis, June 2019, Score: 95-97
A slightly more flamboyant style than one sometimes expects from Dow’s, this is a very eye-catching wine with bright, warm summer fruit aromas. It shows a full, generous style with hints of cinnamon and spice and coats the whole palate. Masses of drive and energy, you can feel the tight tannic tension on the finish providing the subtlety of dryness at the end for which this great house is famed.
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Neal Martin, June 2019, Score: 98
The 2017 Dow’s Vintage Port showed a slight reduction and required more time to really open in the glass. Typical of Dow’s it has a more backward and introspective bouquet compared to its peers, scents of blackberry, clove, wild mint, cassis and vanilla, gradually gaining more intensity with aeration. The palate is simply glorious. It is built around a compelling tannic frame that seems finer than any Dow’s I have encountered apart from the ethereal 2011. There is so much energy coiled up in this Port, a sense of symmetry that is enthralling and yet you just know that it needs to be cellared for 15-20 years for it to reveal its full potential. For serious Port-lovers. One of the vintages most cerebral offerings. Total production is 5,250 cases. Drink 2030-2080
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James Suckling, May 2019, Score: 98
Pure grape aromas that remind me of fermenting must but then goes to stems and dried flowers. Full-bodied, medium sweet with fine-grained tannins that coat your palate. Powerful and muscular yet remains agile and beautiful. Grows on your palate. Wonderful ripe fruit in the middle palate. Try after 2030.
Producer
Dow
With a rich history starting in 1798, Dow's Port revolves around four quintas. Without doubt the kingpin of which is the Quinta do Bomfim (which translates as good end) this being the prime source of fruit for the declared Vintage Port, and in undeclared years the wine here is usually of sufficient quality for it to be bottled as a single quinta Port. 40% of the vineyard is still accounted for by the vines planted by the Sy...Read more
With a rich history starting in 1798, Dow's Port revolves around four quintas. Without doubt the kingpin of which is the Quinta do Bomfim (which translates as good end) this being the prime source of fruit for the declared Vintage Port, and in undeclared years the wine here is usually of sufficient quality for it to be bottled as a single quinta Port. 40% of the vineyard is still accounted for by the vines planted by the Symington family in the early years of the 20th century. The varieties planted are led by Touriga Franca (22%), with other significant contributions to the wine from Touriga Naçional (12%), Roriz (12%) and Barroca (11%). Yields are low, and the production of the vineyard amounts to approximately 300 pipes (1 pipe equals 550 litres) of Port. The other three quintas are as follows: Quinta da Senhora de Ribeira, Quinta do Santinho and Quinta do Sol - where the Symington family have their winery.Dow's characteristics are that they are rich, deeply coloured and have appealing fruit brightness.Read less
Region
Port
Port is made in the Cima Corgo, Baixo Corgo and Douro Superior districts of the Douro Valley in the north of Portugal. The summers are hot and dry and the climate becomes more continental as you move further east towards the upper Douro Valley. Here temperatures often exceed 40 degrees. The Douro Valley has steep hillsides with terraces, which is not only aesthetically pleasing but is also extremely useful for making quality wine. The schist soils aid in drainage and have become very important to port production, so much so that much of the Douro table wines have been relegated to granite soils. The six main grape varieties used for port production are Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cão, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Tinta Barroca, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Amarela. There are another 42 grape varieties that are permitted but these six are considered to be the noblest ones, each adding something different to the blend. After the harvest the grapes are trodden, often by foot but more often by machines, in giant lagars (troughs). Port is a fortified wine so during fermentation ‘brandy' (not actually brandy but a grape-distilled spirit) is added to increase thealcoholic strength to around 17-19 % abv. This leaves a sweet, red fortified wine with lots of vibrant fruit. There are many different types of Port from the Basic Ruby Ports, through to Tawny Ports and LBVs, to probably the most famous of all Vintage Port that can take 20 years to reach its peak. When mature, Vintage Port is a unique tasting experience with warm, concentrated spicy-fruit flavours and a superb length that just goes on and on.
