Senior editor and tasting director Bruce Sanderson joined Wine Spectator in 1993. His tasting beats are Burgundy, Italy and Germany.

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An Outstanding Port, Three Decades Later

Dow Vintage Port 1977

Bruce Sanderson
Posted: August 15, 2011

While doing a little cellar management, I came across the last bottle of Dow Vintage Port 1977. My colleague, Kim Marcus, and I had split a case we bought at auction a few years ago. We wanted something we could drink while waiting for the 1994s and 1997s to develop a little more.

The ’77 Dow had a huge nose of sweet plum and raspberry with hints of flowers. Ripe and opulent on the palate, it had a touch of caramel, along with licorice and molasses, all tempered by ripe berry fruit. The flavors lingered, leaving a sweet aftertaste. It seemed to me to be one of the best bottles from the case: 95 points, non-blind.

With fall approaching, it may be time to go back to the auction market to find another case of Port.

WineSpectator.com members: Read the original blind-tasting review, along with notes from retrospective and vertical tastings, for Dow Vintage Port 1977 (94 points; $12 on release).

• Plus, get scores and tasting notes for more recently rated Vintage Ports.