"Commander Bob" > wrote in
news:%9Svf.60285$OU5.50964@clgrps13:
>>
> Sorry to be a dissenter, but I found the 1985 Dow's to be the most
> uninspired of all the 1985 vintage Ports I've tried.
> The 85 Fonseca and Grahams were so good 5 years ago, that I bought
> some 85 Dows on my last trip to Porto. As previously mentioned, it's
> quite cheap-even more so at the Porto Duty-Free- and I was looking
> forward to a great drink on my recent birthday. I was quite
> disappointed, and believe that it is underpriced for a good reason.
> The more recent Taylors LBV (1999) and Smith Woodhouse LBV (1994) are
> both richer and more full-bodied than the 85 Dow's; at a fraction of
> the price.


Hi,

I think you got an off bottle of 1985 Dow's. Probably very slightly cork
tainted made it dull and uninspiring. What I tasted was an extraordinary
wine, and it compared favourable to Warre's and Graham's from the same year
and provenance (the Symington cellars).

About the underpricing, I think it relates to the fact that the Port market
is very well developed in the U.K. where most of the links provided by
winesearcher come from if you do a free search. 1855.com has the same Port
at 89,90 euros FWIW. Vintage Port seldomly sells in Spain and it is a
specialized item and, therefore, sold at special prices (expensive).

Best,

Santiago