Dow's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2018
(Portugal) - [WS 93, #26 Top 100 '24]

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Notes From The Winemaker:

WINEMAKER
Charles Symington and João Pedro Ramalho.
PROVENANCE 
Dow's Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira vineyards.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Sousão, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz.

This 2018 Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) shares the same provenance with Dow’s legendary Vintage Ports, namely the Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira vineyards, which have been owned by Dow’s since the late 19th century. Five generations of Symington family winemakers have tended these vineyards, deriving from them Dow’s distinctive wine profile, characterised by intense, structured wines with fresh black fruit flavors, peppery tannins and a hallmark drier style. The grapes from both properties were trodden in the on-site modern lagares, which equip the Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira wineries.

Vintage Notes: 
Although 2018 started off very dry, with the soils parched by the previous year’s rainfall deficit, the spring heralded abundant rain with the months between March and June all recording above-average precipitation. Soil water reserves were amply replenished, a good position to be in for the vines’ growing and ripening cycles. The wet, cool spring and generally unsettled atmospheric conditions continued into the summer and resulted in a diminishing of the crop size. Inevitably, the growth cycle of the vine was delayed by a few weeks, but a hot and dry August put maturations back on track. Climatic conditions in early September favoured an even and complete ripening of the berries with good levels of acidity that are reflected in the wines’ balance. 

Tasting Notes:
Bright, exuberant aromas of blackberry and blueberry are pierced by a shaft of mint which gives the wine an incredible, scintillating freshness. The substantial mouthfeel carries ample black forest fruit and fleshy, black plum flavors punctuated by peppery tannins and fine acidity, all combining to underscore the wine’s fine structure and balance. The long aftertaste suggests tobacco and tea, wrapped in Dow’s trademark dry finish.