Picked at a lower Baume than the Grahams (3.4) with the backbone sourced from Touriga Nacional in Bomfim this has a more austere nose, introverted with blackberry, cigar box, raspberry leaf, a touch of cold stones and blueberry. Complex but you have to come to it – it does not come to you. The palate is masculine, aloof, beautifully balanced, spicy and earthy. Very structured on the mid-palate, almost foursquare but I find the focus and the sense of symmetry bewitching. Not a port that will please everyone, but one that Dow-lovers will adore. That includes me by the way. Aristocratic!”

The 2007 Dow’s Vintage Port is one of the stars of the vintage. A glass-coating opaque purple color, it offers up an already complex bouquet of mineral, pencil lead, licorice, spice box, and assorted black fruits. On the palate it is quite massive, slightly dry in the house style, and packed with fruit. It has the structure to be one of the long distance runners of the vintage taking as much as 20 years to reach its peak and drinking well through 2050. As an aside, I was able to taste the individual components of this wine on the day prior to this tasting. The final blend is better than any of its parts. Importer: Premium Port Wine, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 554-9920