1985 Dow’s Vintage Port

[Andy Velebil]

1985 Dow’s Vintage Port
Another VP that is still not showing any age in its 23 years. Dense dark fruit is followed by subdued tannins and good acidity. This has great potential and I think a longer decant would help this come out of it’s shell, as I’ve recently had better showings of it. 94-95 points.
01/31/09

[Mark DaSilva]

I'm curous about this one too. Now I want to try it.

Man, Andy, you've been at some ports! I go away for a couple of weeks, and BAM! You hit the motherlode here! Good sampling too.

Were you able to walk after all this?

[Andy Velebil]

I'm curous about this one too. Now I want to try it.

Man, Andy, you've been at some ports! I go away for a couple of weeks, and BAM! You hit the motherlode here! Good sampling too.

Were you able to walk after all this?

It really is IMO one of the top of the vintages. A very good VP that every cellar should have at least a couple of.

These are my tasting notes from the 1st annual Port Gala in Seattle earlier this year. Go to the home page and download the latest newsletter,after all its free for everyone this month to download, my article on the whole weekend is there. BTW, that was only part of day 2, i still need to add the 1994 VP's as well

I could sorta stand, even sorta walk and sorta decant more bottles at night after...not sure how though, it must be all that training I get once a year on the Harvest Trips. It's enough to last a full year and then some

[Glenn E.]

I could sorta stand, even sorta walk and sorta decant more bottles at night after...

I'll vouch for the "sorta decant" part, because after decanting the 1966 Graham's for the next day either Andy or Roy forgot to rinse the bottle before pouring the Port back into it! Lots of notes about sediment the next day, during which Andy assured everyone that it had been decanted. I took the bottle home Sunday night, though, and given the amount of sediment left in the bottle there's no way either of them had remembered to rinse it.

What a weekend! I can't wait for the 2010 version.

[Andy Velebil]

I'm blaming Roy on that one, my hands never touched it :blah:

[Moses Botbol]

'85 Dow is still a baby. Should become one of Dow's greatest post war vintages some day. I could say it already is, but it's so closed it's not worth opening so a final verdict is still out. Certainly one of Dow's drier vintages.

[Moses Botbol]

Had the 1985 Dow again last night at friend's house. Bottle had a little seepage and had been opened a couple of nights before. He sprays the bottle, so the decanting happens at a slow rate. Still the same port as expected. Lot's pure fruit, young looking in the glass. A little thin and very pure tasting with a dry finish. This Port is still a baby. I told him not to bother opening it, but now that he has, he's going to cellar the remaining bottles for a long time. An impressive Port and the youngest '85 I can think of out the different houses I have tried.

I wonder if the mouthfeel will change over time? It's such a lush tasting port, it's hard to imagine that so much flavor could happen in a thinner profile like this had. I can't remember the mouthfeel of my previous tastings of this vintage.