Dow's Vintage Port 2000

€84.87

VAT included

Dow's Vintage Port 2000

Dow's Vintage Port 2000 is a Port produced by Symington Family Estates, one of Portugal's most traditional houses. As is typical of Vintage Ports, it is made from a blend of traditional grape varieties from the Douro region. It is known for its full-bodied character, firm tannins and great ageing potential.

Vinification: Fortification involves the addition of natural grape spirit to the fermenting juice, intentionally interrupting the fermentation process at a point when approximately half of the grapes' natural sugar has been converted into alcohol. This explains Port's characteristic rich and delicious style and contributes to its considerable ageing potential. Given the short fermentation, it is crucial to extract as much flavour, colour and tannins as possible from the skin of the grapes. It was aged in seasoned oak casks for 18 months and was bottled without any filtration or fining.

Tasting Notes: When young, it is purple-black, austere, complex and intensely concentrated, full-bodied and balanced with very fine spicy tannins. Abundant fruit flavours, with notes of ripe blackberries, give it elegance and balance. The nose is deep and powerful with strong violet tones, which mature into fine aromas of cinnamon and rose tea with age.

Grape Varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão

Wine Type: Port Wine
Format: 0,75L
Vintage: 2000
Country: Portugal
The highest scoring: James Suckling 97 to 99 Points
Robert Parker: 94
Wine Spectator: 94
Wine Enthusiast: 95
James Suckling: 99
Jancis Robinson: 17,5

In stock 4 Items

Shows the intense ripeness of the vintage with hints of raisins and other dried fruits. Full-bodied, medium sweet and so very velvety. A big mouthful. Superb. Just starting to open.

Deep crimson still and a beautifully round, ripe expression of Douro fruit but, when contrasted with Dow's 1977 alongside at the JancisRobinson.com Christmas dinner, it looked rather callow and unformed. When we finished the decanter many days later with Stichelton, it was a delight. Context is all.

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. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2030.

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.

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.

This is on point now, with a mix of cassis, cherry paste and warmed fig fruit that has some youthful energy even as it has melded with bramble, licorice snap and Black Forest cake notes. There's a solid finishing kick of fruit and grip.

Saturated bright ruby. Primary, backward aromas of cassis, redcurrant, licorice, minerals, bitter chocolate and spices. Penetrating, structured and powerful. Not hugely sweet but boasts superb flavor definition and impressive extract. A very unevolved port that's best today on the expanding finish, which features notes of cassis, violet, dark chocolate and peaty earth and terrific grip and thrust.

Deep garnet, ochre reflections and a broad and bright rim. Hints of cookie, dried fruit, raisins, blueberries and candied orange zest. Present tannins, fine praline notes, delicate hints of After Eight, enormous minerality and dark chocolate on the finish. A versatile port, maturing well with further long ageing potential.

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