Dow's Tawny Port 20 Years Old NV
NV, Douro, Portugal
Dow's Tawny Port 20 Years Old NV
Red Blend
Dow's (Symington Family Estates)
Glass
$20Glass
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Profile & Story
Dow's traces its origins to 1798, when Portuguese merchant Bruno da Silva began importing wine to London. The modern house took shape through a series of nineteenth-century partnerships — Silva & Cosens (1862), joined by George Warre (1868), and merged in 1877 with James R. Dow's port company to form Dow's & Co. Since 1912, five generations of Symington winemakers have lived and worked at Dow's vineyards of Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira, producing wines including the only 21st-century Vintage Port to score a perfect 100 points. Dow's 20 Year Old, created by fourth-generation master blender Charles Symington, is for many the perfect example of an aged tawny Port: an elegant balance of mellow fruit and the complex characteristics that come from prolonged wood-ageing, during which around 35% of the original volume is lost to evaporation. Dow's ages a portion of its tawnies in large, well-seasoned oak balseiros of 5,000 to 10,000 litres, giving its Aged Tawnies an attractive fruit character, deeper colour, and the house's hallmark drier style.
Tasting Notes
With a polished brown centre and orange-amber edges, the wine shows a honeysuckle scent with discreet notes of butterscotch. Refined and balanced on the palate, flinty, mellowed tannins meld with concentrated red berry fruit and a lifted mineral freshness, with nuanced flavours of tobacco leading to a focused, dry finish.
Pairing Recommendation
Pairs well with nuts, dried fruits and fruitcake, and also with vanilla ice cream or crème brûlée. Serve slightly chilled.