1997 Dow's Vintage Port

[Lamont Huxley]

After several hours in the decanter this was a dark purple color, almost inky, with a vibrant plum-colored rim. The nose is deep-toned and really complex, with a heady blend of blueberry, blackberry, black cherry, prunes, tar, menthol, and cocoa. Rich fruit comes across upon sipping - black raspberry, plum and cassis, with a smokey black pepper edge. Well structured with solid tannins and balanced acidity, it's moderately sweet - typical Dow's style - and has a very long finish. This is an awesome Dow's, probably my favorite of the half dozen vintages I've sampled from them, although side by side with the 94 it would be really hard to say which one would reign supreme. Excellent. 95pts, Tasted 3/08