NV Dow's - Porto Tawny Port 20 Year Old

Dow's is one of the great historic Port houses of the Douro, now managed by the fourth and fifth generation of the Symington family, whose members have overseen its wines for more than a century. The house draws primarily from two of its finest quintas, Bomfim in the Cima Corgo and Senhora da Ribeira in the Douro Superior, vineyards that have supplied Dow's for over a hundred years and give the house its characteristically dry, restrained style among tawny Ports.

This 20 Year Old is a blend built mainly from Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Franca, fermented briefly before fortification with grape spirit halts the process and locks in natural sweetness. Rather than a single vintage, the wine combines older and younger lots to balance developed complexity with fresher fruit, all aged in seasoned oak casks in the Dow's lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, where the wine slowly shifts from deep ruby to a paler, golden amber hue.

The finished Port shows aromas of honeysuckle and butterscotch, layered with walnut, candied orange peel, and nutmeg. On the palate it turns creamy and full, with salted caramel, dried apricot, and almond butter carrying through a long, refined finish with a touch of dryness. Pair it with crème brûlée, aged Manchego, or a plate of roasted almonds.