1966 Dow Vintage Port

[Eric Menchen]

I purchase this bottle with a heavily chipped capsule last year. The wax capsule was further chipped in shipping, exposing the cork. About a month ago I noticed a few drops, maybe six to ten, of Port on the floor beneath the a wine rack and identified this bottle as the leaker, putting it on death row. I knew going in it might not be a good bottle as result, but ...

In the decanter, ruby with a slight amber hue. A bit of age in the aroma, but quite pleasant.

D+6 hours: My first whiff is spice, cinnamon with a little bit of eucalyptus. In the mouth, some fruit, some warmth, but a nice mix. Body is a little light, and it is dry, but not as dry as I would expect for a Dow. Nice finish with warmth, but no burn. There was some tawny character in there trying to express itself. I didn't take detailed notes, but am putting this together from memory. Was it strawberry in the fruit? 92 points. Returned to a half bottle, vacuumed, and put in the refrigerator.

Day 2: More fruit today. The first sip had more body and cherry syrup. Then the fruit was more dried, figs. Still nice.

Day 3: Today I'm taking notes and putting this together. Color is ruby with some brown tint, fading at the rim, but not really changing in hue. It seems surprisingly dark today, I think darker than when first decanted. Pleasant alcohol warmth in the aroma with very faint fruit, less than the previous days. There may be some of that grape stem that Glenn talks about. In the mouth it starts with cherry cough syrup, and finishes by blending that with fig, like yesterday. A little bit of tannic pucker is still there, and definitely some acid and faint warmth going down. Medium-long finish.

Not as much depth as I would have hoped for, but a very nice drink. On the other hand, the QPR isn't there given the premium I paid for a bottle of this age. I've enjoyed many younger bottles at less than 1/2 the cost. I don't think this (caveat: leaker) is going to get any better, and would drink them up if I had more.

[Marco D.]

Thanks for the great notes! Does the label mention the bottler/shipper?

[Eric Menchen]

The bottle didn't have its original label. The top of the bottle had "DOW 1966" in relief from the glass which led me to believe it was Oporto bottled, but I don't know for sure.