98 James Suckling - Jamessuckling.com

Pure grape aromas that remind me of fermenting must but then goes to stems and dried flowers. Full-bodied, medium sweet with fine-grained tannins that coat your palate. Powerful and muscular yet remains agile and beautiful. Grows on your palate. Wonderful ripe fruit in the middle palate. Try after 2030.

98 Falstaff Magazine

Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, purple reflections, brightening to the rim. Lightly savoury background of black forest berries, tobacco nuances, hints of blueberry confit and elderberries, slatey mineral notes. Powerful, substantial, vivid sweetness, supporting tannins, dark nougat on the finish, very good length, an imperious style, built for a long life.

98 Owen Bargreen - OwenBargreen.com

The 2017 Dow’s Vintage Port is crafted from largely Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca (80%) grapes with a fair portion of Alicante Bouchet (8%) blended in. The nose is intoxicating with its blueberry cobbler, mocha, tar, lavender and anise aromas that all meld together in the glass. The stunning bouquet brings you back to the glass for more hedonistic delight. The sense of balance and purity of fruit is truly amazing, as this pushes perfection with its dark chocolate shaving, blueberry liquor, espresso bean and shades of lavender puree. Exotic, and simply captivating, the wine has a seamless quality and a supple texture that truly shines. While a delight to savor now, this beautiful wine really needs at least five more years in the cellar to come into its own.

97 Decanter

Based on fruit from the predominantly south-facing Quinta do Bomfim in the Cima Corgo and Quinta Senhora da Ribeira in the Douro Superior, with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca making up 80% of the blend. This is opaque and closed in but powerfully ripe with underlying pure berry fruit. It's seemingly quite introverted compared to some of its peers at this stage, but it's still full, rich and opulent on the palate. It also shows the latent power of the vintage, made as it is in a slightly drier style (3.4 Baumé), with lovely minty fruit and full, ripe sinewy tannins all the way through the finish. Long and lithe, and very fine.

96 Wine Enthusiast

This is a dry while also floral wine, perfumed and enticing with its juicy acidity. At the same time, the structure is very present, showing power and dark black fruits. The balance is coming together with the rich fruits and tannins melding into one. Drink from 2028. Roger Voss

96 Wine Spectator

A dense, thickly textured version, dripping with warm salted licorice, tar and açaí paste notes, while plum and blueberry pâte de fruit, chai spice and chocolate elements fill in behind. Lots of brambly grip flows underneath. Shows a very sappy feel on the finish. Best from 2035 through 2055. 5,250 cases made, 1,092 cases imported.