Dow’s Quinta do Bonfim
WHY WE LOVE IT
- One of the Douro Valley’s finest vineyards, Quinta do Bomfim is at the heart of Dow’s wines, having provided the main structure.
- Dow’s Vintage expresses the house style, derived from the sum of the several vineyards from which it is made.
- Five generations of Symington winemakers at Bomfim have developed a style that suits the vineyard.
- The Bomfim vineyard is south facing, an aspect that favors complete and balanced grape ripening and which results in well-structured and intense, complex wines.
Varietal Composition: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz and old mixed vines.
Elaboration: Fermentations are a little longer resulting in a drier profile that has become one of Dow’s distinctive hallmarks.
Tasting Notes: Very deep ruby color. The nose is complex and multi-layered, combining aromas of cherry and plum with floral notes of rock rose and hints of dark chocolate. The palate is full-bodied, showing liquorice flavors of blackcurrant and blueberry, with fresh mint notes and ripe, peppery tannins leading to a long and spicy finish.
PRESS
2006 – 94 Wine & Spirit |91 Wine Spectator | 91 Wine Advocate
2013 – 94 Wine Enthusiast “Cellar Selection”
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Founded in 1798 by Portuguese merchant, Bruno da Silva, Dow’s has lengthy history of offering some of the finest Ports. The Dow’s brand name was established when another partner, James Dow, joined the company.In 1912, Andrew Symington, a Scot who had been working in the industry for 25 years, became a partner in Dow’s. Today, the company is 100% owned and managed by the fourth generation of the Symington family, who are today the largest landowners in Portugal’s Douro Valley with over 4,000 acres. For over two centuries the name of DOW has been associated with the finest Port from the vineyards of the Upper Douro Valley. Throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st, the Symington family has built on the legacy of the preceding Silva and Dow families. Generations of Symington winemakers have worked at the Dow’s vineyards: Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira, creating from them Dow’s superbly concentrated wines that are intense and tannic when young, maturing towards a superlative racy elegance with age and scented with violet and mint aromas. Dow’s attractive and distinctive drier finish is the recognizable hallmark of the wines from this great Port house.