{"product_id":"dows-late-bottled-vintage-port-2018-750ml","title":"Dow's - Late Bottled Vintage Port 2018 (750ml)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor over two centuries the name of Dow’s\u003cbr\u003e\nhas been closely linked with the finest Ports\u003cbr\u003e\nfrom the vineyards of the Upper Douro Valley.\u003cbr\u003e\nSince 1912, when Andrew James Symington\u003cbr\u003e\nbecame a partner in Dow’s, five generations of\u003cbr\u003e\nSymington winemakers have lived and worked\u003cbr\u003e\nat their vineyards of Quinta do Bomfim and\u003cbr\u003e\nQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira from where\u003cbr\u003e\nthey have produced many memorable wines,\u003cbr\u003e\nincluding the Dow’s 2007 Vintage Port, rated\u003cbr\u003e\n100-points in Wine Spectator magazine and\u003cbr\u003e\nthe Dow’s 2011 Vintage Port: ‘Wine of The\u003cbr\u003e\nYear’ in the same magazine’s Top 100 Wines\u003cbr\u003e\nof the World (2014).\u003cbr\u003e\nWINE DESCRIPTION SHEET\u003cbr\u003e\nTHE WINE\u003cbr\u003e\nThis 2018 Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) shares the same provenance with Dow’s legendary\u003cbr\u003e\nVintage Ports, namely the Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira\u003cbr\u003e\nvineyards, which have been owned by Dow’s since the late 19th century. Five generations\u003cbr\u003e\nof Symington family winemakers have tended these vineyards, deriving from them\u003cbr\u003e\nDow’s distinctive wine profile, characterised by intense, structured wines with fresh\u003cbr\u003e\nblack fruit flavours, peppery tannins and a hallmark drier style. The grapes from both\u003cbr\u003e\nproperties were trodden in the on-site modern lagares, which equip the Quinta do\u003cbr\u003e\nBomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira wineries.\u003cbr\u003e\nYEAR AND HARVEST OVERVIEW\u003cbr\u003e\nAlthough 2018 started off very dry, with the soils parched by the previous year’s rainfall\u003cbr\u003e\ndeficit, the spring heralded abundant rain with the months between March and June\u003cbr\u003e\nall recording above-average precipitation. Soil water reserves were amply replenished,\u003cbr\u003e\na good position to be in for the vines’ growing and ripening cycles. The wet, cool\u003cbr\u003e\nspring and generally unsettled atmospheric conditions continued into the summer\u003cbr\u003e\nand resulted in a diminishing of the crop size. Inevitably, the growth cycle of the vine\u003cbr\u003e\nwas delayed by a few weeks, but a hot and dry August put maturations back on track.\u003cbr\u003e\nClimatic conditions in early September favoured an even and complete ripening of the\u003cbr\u003e\nberries with good levels of acidity that are reflected in the wines’ balance. Yields were\u003cbr\u003e\nvery low, but that favoured the high quality that the wines from 2018 reveal.\u003cbr\u003e\nCharles Symington, Douro, October 2018\u003cbr\u003e\nWINEMAKERS\u003cbr\u003e\nCharles Symington and Pedro Sousa.\u003cbr\u003e\nTASTING NOTE\u003cbr\u003e\nBright, exuberant aromas of blackberry\u003cbr\u003e\nand blueberry are pierced by a shaft of\u003cbr\u003e\nmint which gives the wine an incredible,\u003cbr\u003e\nscintillating freshness. The substantial\u003cbr\u003e\nmouthfeel carries ample black forest fruit\u003cbr\u003e\nand fleshy, black plum flavours punctuated\u003cbr\u003e\nby peppery tannins and fine acidity, all\u003cbr\u003e\ncombining to underscore the wine’s fine\u003cbr\u003e\nstructure and balance. The long aftertaste\u003cbr\u003e\nsuggests tobacco and tea, wrapped in\u003cbr\u003e\nDow’s trademark dry finish.\u003cbr\u003e\nSymington tasting room, Spring 2023\u003cbr\u003e\nPROVENANCE · GRAPE VARIETIES\u003cbr\u003e\nDow’s Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta\u003cbr\u003e\nda Senhora da Ribeira vineyards · Douro\u003cbr\u003e\nValley · Portugal.\u003cbr\u003e\nGrape varieties: Touriga Franca, Touriga\u003cbr\u003e\nNacional, Sousão, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz.\u003cbr\u003e\nSTORAGE AND SERVING\u003cbr\u003e\nThis port is bottled ready to drink and will\u003cbr\u003e\nnot benefit from further ageing. No need\u003cbr\u003e\nto decant and once open, it will remain\u003cbr\u003e\nfresh for 6-8 weeks. An excellent wine to\u003cbr\u003e\nenjoy on its own, with dark chocolate\u003cbr\u003e\ndesserts or cheeses such as Cheddar or\u003cbr\u003e\nManchego.\u003cbr\u003e\nWINE SPECIFICATION\u003cbr\u003e\nAlcohol: 20% (v\/v 20°C)\u003cbr\u003e\nTotal Acidity: 4.8g\/L (tartaric acid)\u003cbr\u003e\nBaumé: 3.5°\u003cbr\u003e\npH: 3.55\u003cbr\u003e\nTotal sugars: 98g\u003cbr\u003e\nAllergy advice: Contains sulphites\u003cbr\u003e\nCompatible with vegetarian\u003cbr\u003e\nand vegan diets\u003cbr\u003e\nLATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT\u003cbr\u003e\n2018\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dow's","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47512049811680,"sku":"129538","price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0649\/9713\/0464\/files\/dow-s-late-bottled-vintage-port_1.jpg?v=1750193840","url":"https:\/\/www.mywineconnection.com\/products\/dows-late-bottled-vintage-port-2018-750ml","provider":"My Wine Connection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}