Heavily led by Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional, Dow’s vintage Port wines are blended from two of owner Symington’s preferred vineyards: Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira. The wines are noted for their drier styles with Dow’s pushing the fermentation longer than standard practice. This was aged in old oak casks for 18 months before bottling. RM Still youthful in appearance; lovely fragrant, floral aromas, underlying intensity and depth. Fresh, firm, ripe minty-berry fruit with tight-knit tannins and a long, well-defined finish. SJ Rich, beguiling nose dominated by plummy concentration and chocolate truffles. The full-bodied and dense palate supported by quite high acidity and a good tannic bite. Satisfying indeed. DW Compact and dense, with emerging juicy and persistent black fruit, and spice, liquorice and hints of leather. Tannic refreshment and freshness keep the whole wine in balance. (Panel Tasting)

An impressively concentrated wine, showing the hallmark Dow’s dry edge, but still full of ripe fruit, flavors of black plums and berries. It has weight and spice, but also a delicious perfume, layered through a smooth, opulent texture. (RV)

An opaque blue/purple color (typical of this vintage's top offerings) is followed by a strikingly provocative aromatic display (flowers, licorice, blackberries, and cassis). This firmly-structured, classic, tightly-knit, restrained port exhibits brilliant purity as well as impressive intensity. While not the most dramatic or flamboyant, it is a beautiful, classically structured port that will age gracefully. (RP)