Winemaker Notes
Exceptionally aromatic with aromas of violets, hints of blackberry, blackcurrant and black plum on the nose. There is some spice that is balanced with fresh acidity and minerality. A long finish with ripe but firm tannins.
Dow's Senhora da Ribeira can be enjoyed anytime and pairs wonderfully with chocolate desserts and soft cheeses like creamy Stilton or Roquefort.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Quinta de Senhora da Ribeira Vintage Port comes in with 100 grams per liter of residual sugar and was bottled in May 2015. It is a blend of 35% Touriga Nacional, 40% Touriga Franca, 15% Sousão and 10% Old Vines field blend. Showing very good concentration for the year and beautiful structure, this lovely Single Quinta Port is full in the mouth and very powerful in its youth. The beautiful fruit underneath announces its presence with some intensity--it tastes great, too. Palate coating and inky black, this should exceed expectations over the next couple of decades. After being opened for some five days, it sealed the deal. It became far more expressive, crisper and transparent. It also became remarkably delicious. It showed not a hint of fading or oxidation. It should age well. On the other side of the coin, you can approach it in several years with some decanting, but giving it about ten to 12 years from vintage date would be far better. Time will tell the whole story, but this seems pretty terrific right now and it still seems to have some upside potential as well. Notes: Part of Dow from 1890-1953 and reacquired in 1998, this Quinta is on the Douro's North Bank. There were 900 cases produced, plus some large format bottles.
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Wine Spectator
Very elegant, with plenty of floral notes to the dark fruit, mineral and Asian spice flavors. Shows plenty of grip on the powerful, suave finish. Drink now through 2040.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F. To learn more, see our full Port Wine Guide
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.