1980 Dow

Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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Tasting notes for individual Ports, with an index sorted by vintage and alphabetically.
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jdaw1
Cockburn 1851
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1980 Dow

Post by jdaw1 »

winesecretary
Fonseca 1980
Posts: 1900
Joined: 15:35 Mon 13 May 2019

Re: 1980 Dow

Post by winesecretary »

Still almost entirely opaque.

Nose and palate both exuberantly full of dark red fruit. There was some argument around the table about whether it lacked tannins. I'm not sure. I think the fruit was just effectively masking them. I thought it would hold many years.
Glenn E.
Graham’s 1977
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Joined: 22:27 Wed 09 Jul 2008
Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Re: 1980 Dow

Post by Glenn E. »

For several experiences with this wine, I thought it impossibly youthful, boisterous, beastly, and tannic. It was 30-35 years old but seemed barely 15, if that.

Then I didn't get to taste it for a few years. No worry, I thought, it is a beast that will last forever.

And then I got to taste one again and I was shocked. It was fully mature, mild, smooth... not at all like the Port I'd become accustomed to. There must be something wrong with the bottle, I thought, but there wasn't anything that we could find at that sitting. It was simply much closer to a 1980 Fonseca than what we expected from a 1980 Dow.

Where on this spectrum would you say this bottle falls? It no longer sounds beastly, but at 41 years old one wouldn't expect that. But this bottle does still sound fruity and bold, though possibly low on tannins?
Glenn Elliott
akzy
Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
Posts: 537
Joined: 21:42 Tue 13 Nov 2018
Location: Three Bridges

Re: 1980 Dow

Post by akzy »

Dissapointing to say the least (least favourite of the evening). Rubbery nose - perhaps smelt a bit like artificial bathroom cleaning products. I didn't finish my glass.
Mike J. W.
Taylor’s LBV
Posts: 158
Joined: 17:41 Sun 31 Jan 2021
Location: New Jersey, USA

Re: 1980 Dow

Post by Mike J. W. »

It's funny because I shared a bottle of the '80 Dow this summer with friends. It was a pretty well integrated bottle of Port and was preferred over the '77 Fonseca and '94 Fonseca served side by side. Both Fonseca's were definitely off that night. If it's being described as "Rubbery nose - perhaps smelt a bit like artificial bathroom cleaning products", I wonder if it was an off bottle?
akzy
Warre’s Otima 10 year old Tawny
Posts: 537
Joined: 21:42 Tue 13 Nov 2018
Location: Three Bridges

Re: 1980 Dow

Post by akzy »

Mike J. W. wrote: 21:21 Thu 21 Oct 2021 It's funny because I shared a bottle of the '80 Dow this summer with friends. It was a pretty well integrated bottle of Port and was preferred over the '77 Fonseca and '94 Fonseca served side by side. Both Fonseca's were definitely off that night. If it's being described as "Rubbery nose - perhaps smelt a bit like artificial bathroom cleaning products", I wonder if it was an off bottle?
Possibly, but there was no suggestion of it being spoilt from the others attending - just an odd bottle. It could also very possibly be a dirty glass - this has definitely misguided me before.
griff
Warre’s Traditional LBV
Posts: 347
Joined: 09:43 Thu 03 Jun 2010
Location: Sydney

Re: 1980 Dow

Post by griff »

This is a disappointing showing. I have been seduced by this bottling in the past. Despite being a very pleasant drink, it was always promising more to come. Thank you for the note. I am of a mind to try one when it is cool enough again.
Andy Velebil
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: 1980 Dow

Post by Andy Velebil »

Is it possible it’s going into a closed phase?
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JacobH
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994
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Re: 1980 Dow

Post by JacobH »

Darkest of the wines. Opaque red, still, fading round the edge. Limited nose. Very little in the mouth. Some simple fruits. A few tannins left. Fine to drink but did not match the colour.
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M.Charlton
Taylor’s LBV
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Joined: 16:40 Sat 23 Jun 2018

Re: 1980 Dow

Post by M.Charlton »

Very dark red indeed – the picture on the review of the evening as a whole doesn’t do the depth of colour justice. Huge amounts of youthful fruit remain, and I thought that this was too dominant given the age of the bottle. I wonder what this will be like in a few decades, once the fruit has integrated into the wine?
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Alex Bridgeman
Graham’s 1948
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Joined: 13:41 Mon 25 Jun 2007
Location: Berkshire, UK

Re: 1980 Dow

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

The darkest of the wines at this tasting, a red so dark as to approach blackness. Opaque. Black winegums on the nose, although a little muted. Surprisingly this is a bit closed on the palate. Some black fruit, dry tannins and some blackcurrant jelly which grows to be a big mouthful backed by good acidity. Dry edges dance around the aftertaste and a long finish. This is "interesting" but is far too peculiar to be "good". 86/100. Drunk 20-Oct-21. Decanted 11½ hours.
Top Ports in 2023: Taylor 1896 Colheita, b. 2021. A perfect Port.

2024: Niepoort 1900 Colheita, b.1971. A near perfect Port.
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