Dow’s Vintage Porto 2017
WHY WE LOVE IT
- The 2017 wines are a result of an advanced growing cycle which led to the earliest harvest ever recorded in the Symington family’s (owners of the Dow’s brand) 137-year history as winemakers and Port producers
- After declaring the 2016 Vintage Port and the 2017 Vintage Port, this is the first ever “back-to-back” general declaration of vintage port wine from Dow’s since Andrew James Symington arrived in Porto in 1882.
- The distinctive conditions experienced throughout 2017 bear striking resemblance to the rainfall and temperature patterns of 1945, which is widely considered to be one of the greatest Vintage Ports.
- Fermentations are a little longer (at Dow’s) compared to other Port producers, resulting in a drier Port Wine that has become the hallmark of Dow’s.
- The very high percentage of Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional planted on the vineyards result in the powerful structure and aging potential of Dow’s Vintage Ports.
- Provenance: 43% Quinta do Bomfim, 38% Quinta Da Senhora da Ribeira, 12% Quinta do Cabeço, 7% Quinta da Cerdeira
Varietal Composition: 42% Touriga Nacional, 38% Touriga Franca, 9% Sousão, 8% Old mixed vines (field blend), 3% Alicante Bouschet
Elaboration: These wines are aged in seasoned oak casks for some 18 months and are bottled without any filtration or fining whatsoever.
Tasting Notes: It is rare to see such tremendous depth and intensity in color as this wine displays. The freshness of the floral aromas is very attractive with a dominance of rockrose, a flower that grows wild around the hills of Senhora da Ribeira. On the palate, it is exceptionally full-bodied, rich and powerful with black fruit coming to the fore. Gorgeous, ripe fruit is balanced by the fine tannin structure. On the finish, it is typically Dow, austere and somewhat drier than many other ports. The intense fruit flavors linger long on the palate.
PRESS
94-96 Wine Advocate | 95 Wine & Spirits | 96 Wine Enthusiast | 96 Wine Spectator | 97 Decanter | 98 James Suckling
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.