Dow’s Crusted Porto 2012
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Dow’s Crusted Port is superb value for money and gives many of the unique flavors of the great bottle matured Vintage Ports at a fraction of the price.
- Dow’s Crusted is a blend of excellent young ports from two or three harvests, bottled without any fining or filtration.
- This Port was then aged in bottle in the Dow’s cellars in Portugal for three years before being offered for sale.
- Crusted Port derives its name from the fact, that exactly like Vintage Port it will throw a “crust” or natural deposit with bottle age.
Varietal Composition: Traditional blend of Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, & Touriga Franca
Elaboration: Dow’s Crusted Port is a blend of particularly full bodied Ports of very high quality from recent vintages (normally from the two or three harvests immediately preceding the bottling date). These Ports are matured in cask for some 12 to 18 months before being bottled without any fining or filtration. Dow’s Crusted Port is then aged for a further three years in bottle in the Dow’s cellars prior to being released for sale. This prolonged bottle-ageing gives this Port a superb style and character with the distinctive Dow’s dry finish.
Tasting Notes: Nice ruby color with a reddish rim. On the nose it’s full of jammy opulent fruit with aromas of dark fruits such as plums and figs and with peppery/spicy notes. The palate is concentrated, luscious and full bodied. Excellent texture and balance leading to a long drier finish. As with Vintage Port the wine should be stored lying down and will require decanting prior to serving. Stand the bottle upright a few hours before opening so as to allow the deposit to settle prior to decanting.
PRESS
n/a
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.