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Dow's Vintage Port

Every Dow's vintage PortDB records, rated and placed on its drinking window.

Updated

Dow's is a structured Port house — firm and tannic, the slowest of the four builds to open and the longest-lived. PortDB records 38 Dow's releases spanning 1963–2019, 20 of them single-quinta wines. Across the set, 7 vintages are rated legendary (1963, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1994, 2007, 2011) and 7 classic. Their windows open 1985–2039, with decline modelled from 2034–2126.

Style
Structured
Wines in PortDB
38 (20 single-quinta)
Range
1963–2019
Tiers
7 legendary · 7 classic · 15 very good · 9 good
Named quintas
Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira, Quinta do Bomfim
Windows open
1985–2039

Every Dow's vintage

Year Wine Rating Prime window Note
2019 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Very good 2033–2069 Recent Douro Superior single-quinta, ~91 pts Wine-Searcher / Symington listing of SdR single-quinta vintages
2017 Vintage Port Classic 2039–2084 Rare back-to-back declaration after 2016; powerful, age-worthy Decanter / Wine Enthusiast: Symington back-to-back 2016-2017 declaration
2016 Vintage Port Classic 2038–2083 Highly acclaimed elegant, structured modern declaration Wine Spectator: Dow's 2016 Vintage Port 98 points
2015 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Very good 2029–2065 Declared single-quinta alongside Quinta do Vesuvio 2015, ~92 pts Symington Family Estates: SdR 2015 declared alongside Quinta do Vesuvio 2015
2013 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Very good 2027–2063 Floral, firm dry-style SdR, ~92 pts; drink through 2040 Symington/Wine-Searcher SdR vintage list
2013 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Very good 2027–2063 Undeclared-year Bomfim, ~91 pts Wine Enthusiast / multiple retailers: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 2013
2011 Vintage Port Legendary 2033–2091 Wine Spectator 2014 Wine of the Year, #1 Top 100, 99 pts; first fortified/Portuguese wine… Wine Spectator Top 100 2014: #1 Wine of the Year, Dow's 2011, 99 pts
2009 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Very good 2023–2059 Cited as possibly the best wine this vineyard has produced, ~91 pts Wine-Searcher / Symington SdR vintage list
2009 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Very good 2023–2059 Undeclared-year Bomfim, ~91 pts Wine-Searcher: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 2009
2007 Vintage Port Legendary 2029–2087 Perfect 100-point score from Wine Spectator; benchmark structured vintage Wine Spectator: Dow's 2007 Vintage Port perfect 100 points
2005 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Very good 2019–2055 IWC Gold Medal winner, hot Douro Superior fruit Symington: SdR has won three IWC gold medals
2005 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Very good 2019–2055 Well-regarded Bomfim single-quinta, ~92 pts Wine-Searcher: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 2005
2004 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Very good 2018–2054 Undeclared-year SdR, ~92 pts Wine-Searcher / Symington SdR vintage list
2004 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Very good 2018–2054 Undeclared-year Bomfim, ~90 pts Wine-Searcher / CellarTracker: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 2004
2003 Vintage Port Classic 2025–2070 Hot, exceptional viticultural year; rich yet firm Dow's official / Decanter: 2003 general declaration
2002 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Very good 2016–2052 IWC Gold Medal winner Symington/Premium Port SdR vintage list (incl. 2002)
2000 Vintage Port Classic 2022–2067 First declaration of the new millennium, fine and age-worthy Dow's official: 2000 general declaration
1999 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Very good 2013–2049 IWC Gold Medal winner, ~91 pts Symington/Wine-Searcher SdR list; IWC gold medal record
1999 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Good 2013–2046 Undeclared-year Bomfim bottling Wine-Searcher: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 1999
1998 Single quintaQuinta da Senhora da Ribeira Good 2012–2045 First vintage after Symington repurchased the Douro Superior estate for Dow's bicentenary Symington: SdR repurchased 1998 for Dow's bicentenary; first SdR vintage
1998 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Good 2012–2045 Undeclared-year Bomfim bottling Wine-Searcher: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 1998
1997 Vintage Port Classic 2019–2064 Last declaration of the 20th century; powerful and structured Dow's official / Decanter: 1997 general declaration
1995 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Good 2009–2042 Undeclared-year single-quinta from Bomfim Wine-Searcher / CellarTracker: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 1995
1994 Vintage Port Legendary 2016–2074 Outstanding universally declared year; a modern Dow legend Wine-Searcher / trade: Dow's 1994, universally declared great year
1991 Vintage Port Very good 2013–2051 Dow declared the odd-year 1991 over 1992; firm and concentrated Trade record: Symington houses declared 1991 over 1992
1990 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Very good 2004–2040 Strong undeclared-year Bomfim, ~93 pts Wine-Searcher: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 1990, 93 pts
1985 Vintage Port Classic 2007–2052 Widely declared, ripe yet structured Dow Dow's official / WineWiki: 1985 widely declared classic year
1984 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Good 1998–2031 Undeclared-year estate bottling from Dow's finest vineyard at Pinhao Wine-Searcher: Dow's Quinta do Bomfim 1984, 91 pts
1983 Vintage Port Very good 2005–2043 Tightly structured, tannic and slow-maturing WineWiki/trade: 1983 widely declared; Dow declared
1980 Vintage Port Classic 2002–2047 Firm, classic dry-finishing Dow from a fine declared year Dow's official / trade: 1980 declared year
1979 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Good 1993–2026 Off-vintage single-quinta from Quinta do Bomfim; 1979 was not a classic Dow’s declaration… Vintageport.se - Dow's Quinta do Bomfim vintage table
1978 Single quintaQuinta do Bomfim Good 1992–2025 First official Bomfim single-quinta release Wine-Searcher/Symington: Bomfim single-quinta launched with 1978
1977 Vintage Port Legendary 1999–2057 Great structured vintage, very long-lived; among Dow's finest Trade/Suckling: Dow's 1977, great structured vintage ~94 pts
1975 Vintage Port Good 1997–2030 Lighter, earlier-maturing declaration of the decade WineWiki: 1975 generally declared lighter year
1972 Vintage Port Good 1994–2027 Partial/limited Dow declaration in an off year WineWiki: 1972 partial declaration, Dow essentially the only major house
1970 Vintage Port Legendary 1992–2050 One of the great declared years of the century; a house benchmark Trade: Dow's 1970, great declared year ~95 pts
1966 Vintage Port Legendary 1988–2046 Classic structured Dow, cited among the house legends Wine-Searcher/CellarTracker: Dow's 1966 ~93 pts, cited among house legends
1963 Vintage Port Legendary 1985–2043 Benchmark Dow; one of the finest Ports of the 20th century, dry-style and deep Universal trade consensus: 1963 one of the great Port vintages; benchmark Dow

How Dow's ages

The longest-lived style — firm, tannic and slow to reveal itself. Wines of this build need roughly 22 years to open and can hold well past 55. The years below are this house’s own bottlings, grouped by the tier of the vintage — a greater year is more concentrated and stretches the window. They are fixed for each wine; whether a bottle is ready today depends on the date and is answered by the maturity tool.

Legendary · 7 wines
1963, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1994, 2007, 2011 — windows open 1985–2033, modelled to decline from 2078–2126.
Classic · 7 wines
1980, 1985, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2016, 2017 — windows open 2002–2039, modelled to decline from 2082–2119.
Very good · 15 wines
1983, 1990, 1991, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 3 more — windows open 2004–2033, modelled to decline from 2049–2086.
Good · 9 wines
1972, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1995, 1998, 1999 — windows open 1992–2013, modelled to decline from 2034–2065.

Houses that age like Dow's

PortDB groups the 21 houses into four maturation styles. These share Dow's’s, so their wines come round on a similar schedule.

Taylor's
33 wines, 1960–2024 — legendary in 1963, 1977, 1994, 2011.
Quinta do Noval
7 wines, 1931–2017 — legendary in 1931, 1963, 1994, 2011.
Quinta do Vesuvio
5 wines, 1994–2017 — legendary in 2011.
Niepoort
4 wines, 1945–2011 — legendary in 1945.
Churchill's
4 wines, 1985–2011.
Smith Woodhouse
4 wines, 1977–2007.

Compare all 21 on the Port houses, see every year rated on the Port vintage chart, or read the greatest years ranked in best years for Port.

Common questions about Dow's Port

Is Dow's a good Port house?

By PortDB's tiers, yes. Dow's has 7 legendary vintages and 7 classic vintages among the 38 PortDB records, across 1963–2019. Those tiers reflect critic consensus and are a matter of editorial judgement, not a measurement; which years the house declared is public record. The dataset is also not exhaustive — it holds what has been verified against primary sources, so a missing year means no verified record here, not no wine.

Which Dow's vintage should you buy?

PortDB does not rank wines, but it does record a tier for each. The Dow's vintages it rates legendary are 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1994, 2007, 2011. Each year's page lists every house that declared it, so you can see what Dow's was up against. They span 1963–2011, so their windows sit decades apart — “best” and “ready” are different questions, and the window on each row above answers the second one.

How long does Dow's Vintage Port last?

Dow's's wines are modelled on the structured maturation style, which opens around 22 years after the vintage and holds a prime to about 55, stretched by the strength of the vintage and pulled earlier for its single-quinta wines. Across the 38 wines listed above that works out at windows opening 1985–2039 and decline modelled from 2034–2126. To place a specific bottle against today's date, name the house and year in the maturity tool. These are modelled windows, not measurements: storage and bottle variation move the goalposts.

Sources for the Dow's records