Thanks and will do!! :-)
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Resurrecting a helpful thread. Appreciate all of the recommendations. :-)
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How was the 94 vintage for Dow? Im looking for a nice bottle of port and 94 seems to get a lot of attention. 1977 was the other vintage I was looking at as well.
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I been drinking port for a few month's now and have something to confess. I have been driking the cheap ones you can buy at walmart, and ABC. i like it though so i guess thats all that matters. One of the brands is Taylor (but i dont think it's the same Taylor as referred to here) and the other is Fairbanks.
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IIRC, '94 was a great vintage for all, I don't think you can go wrong.
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1994 Dow is one of the best of the vintage. Approachable already and quite awesome. Fat and lucious for a Dow. I had a bottle about 4 months go. I would go for the 1994 Dow over 1977 as the '77 has had a lot of bottle variance. I have had the '77 Dow at least 15 times and few weren't so hot. 1994 is less expensive too.

Not saying to stay away from '77 Dow, just bringing what could be an issue to your attention.
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Taylor USA and Fairbanks, you're a high roller :-) Everything OK? Do we need a fundraiser for you? Just kidding. My girlfriend's mom drinks that "Taylor".

My tip is to buy port from Portugal.
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1994 was an epic year for port. Weather was perfect. Maybe Ill get a 1994 Dow and maybe a Warre from the same vintage. Both 94's maybe be close to the same price as one bottle of 77' Dow.
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Tastes good to me bro.:-)
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Offley Forrester 1977 could be a play. About $40 less than Dow. Ever have this Moses?
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I have a case of '94 Warre and it's typical Warre style; elegant and subtle. I would wait longer to drink the Warre if possible. My friend had a case of the '94 Warre and we drank through it last summer. Warre will need two days decanting to really shine.


Not sure if I have had their '77, but probably. I know I have had '70 and '27 off the top of my head; both were decent. If it's $40 less than the Dow, I would buy it for sure (depends on what your were paying for the Dow).

Do you mind stating what the actual price you are buying it for and I can give you better opinion? Offley is a sleeper brand that has never had much penetration in the US.
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Dow 1977 is $120 and the 77 Offley is $85. Do these seem to be reasonable prices?
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Some other offerings from Offley I've seen around are 85' and 94' vintages. Both are about 60 bucks.
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I would not pay that for the Dow, kind of borderline on the Offley. I've bought '77 Dow for $70 at auction, for instance.


Both vintages are going to be little hot on the alcohol, but the '85 is OK. The Warre & Dow '94 are the two best mentioned on this page.
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The Sandeman's Founders Reserve is one of my favorites as well.
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Sandeman's 20 year tawny is one of the best out there. Not sure if I have ever had the Founders Reserve? Is that the one in the frosted glass?
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Glad to see there's a port thread here!

TF 10 year is my go-to Tawny port. I've had most of the other brands and nothing comes close IMO.

Though I like tawny, I'm a huge fan of vintage port. And the recession has made a lot of bottles at auction a lot more reasonable. I've been able to get my hands on 1977 Taylor Fladgate, 1977 Fonseca, 1985 Fonseca, and a few others. The 77 Fonseca is by far the best beverage I've ever tasted.
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I've got 3 bottles of '94 dow in the basement...it is a HUGE wine. I'm planning on waiting another 4 years before I open the first bottle. I haven't had the 77 Dow, but if it's anything like others from the vintage, you won't be disappointed.
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Have you had the '94 Dow before? It can be opened now, or later. Normally I would not suggest opening such a young vintage, but I bottle of '94 was given to me to see that it is possible to enjoy this vintage now.

1977 Dow can be winner but there is a lot of bottle variation and I would suggest to stay away unless you buying such bottles is not an expense. I have had TCA in the '77 Dow a few times. I would suggest 1963 or 1970 Dow over the 1977 any day. If you like a drier vintage with seemingly endless aging potential, go for the 1985 Dow. 1980 & 1983 Dow's are sleepers than be be had for short money. I had an '83 Dow last night actually...
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I have found auction prices for port to have risen a lot over the last 2 years.

Just about every vintage of Fonseca (or Taylor) is outstanding. Fonseca is a port that does declines at a snail's pace. It may not be as vibrant as Taylor, yet just keeps ticking away. I love the 1935, 1948,1955, 1963, 1970... Actually the only one most ever think twice on is 1983 and that is still solid if bought well.
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