1970 Dow

[Alex Bridgeman]

Deep red, 90% opaque. Lovely rich nose, incredibly complex with rose perfume and masses of fruit. Smooth and silky texture with lots of sweet fruit. Chocolate tannins mix in with the enormous levels of fruit. Big flavours; big aftertaste. Lots of chocolate and fruit, although the finish is a little short. Overall, this is a very, very impressive wine. 94/100. Drunk 25 September 2010.

[jdaw1]

In The Douro Valley with Friends, Harvest 2010:

• Friday 24 September 2010
  • 1960 Fonseca (α alpha);
  • 1963 Graham (β beta);
  • 1963 Taylor (γ gamma);
  • 1977 Graham (tregnum) (δ delta);
• Saturday 25 September 2010
  • 1970 Niepoort (η eta);
  • 1977 Gould Campbell (θ theta);
  • 1970 Warre (ι iota);
  • 1960 Dow (κ kappa);
  • 1970 Dow (λ lambda);
  • 1958 Warre (μ mu);
  • 1934 Warre (ν nu);
• Sunday 26 September 2010
  • 1963 Fonseca (Ï„ tau);
  • 1966 Fonseca (Ï… upsilon);
  • 1970 Fonseca (φ phi);
  • 1977 Fonseca (χ chi);
  • 1994 Vesuvio (ψ psi);
• Monday 27 September 2010
  • 1992 Quevedo colheita (а a);
  • 1994 Quevedo colheita (б be);
  • 1996 Quevedo colheita (в ve);
  • 2000 Quevedo colheita (г ge);
  • 2004 Quevedo LBV (д de);
  • 2008 Quevedo Quinta Vale D’Agodinho (е ie);
  • 1970 Offley Boa Vista.

[jdaw1]

D70: very red, with the faintest hint of purple. Nosing of cherries. To taste big, rich, full and red-fruited. Heat and acid mid-palate. Delicious. Long, lovely, and surprisingly sweet for a Dow.

Voted first by me, and first or second by everybody else. The clear WOTN.

[griff]

Better than my last bottle. Sadly it was a leaker and I suspect slightly oxidised. I shall look for more.