Niepoort 'Late Bottled Vintage' 2021 Port Wine Cima Corgo, Porto
Niepoort 'Late Bottled Vintage' 2021 Port Wine Cima Corgo, Porto
750ml bottle
19.5% abv
Deep ruby color, with a complex and concentrated aromas of red and black fruits. Notes of pepper and dark chocolate. On the palate it shows great concentration and volume with a firm structure but a superb soft silky texture. The great acidity provides freshness and balance to the wine. Long and pleasant finish.
Grapes: Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Amarela, Sousão, Tinta Roriz.
Vines come from low-yielding vineyards on schist soils in the Cima Corgo region: Vinhas da Pisca, Vale do Pinhão and Ferrão, with a vine age in excess of 70 years.
All the vintage components were trodden in granite presses with 100% stalk. The wines were transferred shortly after the harvest, aging in the Douro, in big barrels, during the winter. They were later transferred, in March to the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia.
Dirk Niepoort calls this the younger brother of the Vintage Port, because the origin of the grapes and vinification method are identical. The grapes are manually harvested, received in 25 kilo holders at the Vale de Mendiz, then foot-trodden in round, temperature-controlled granite lagares for four hours everyday after harvest by 25-30 people. Fermentation takes place over 2-3 days with 100% stem inclusion. Wine is then fortified after 50% of fermentation is complete with high quality brandy spirit, then aged in tonéis (large oak barrels) in the Douro over the winter, then moved to the cellars at Vila Nova de Gaia in the spring. At Niepoort the tradition is to bottle the LBVs four to six years after the harvest: Dirk tries to bottle it as soon as possible, in order to retain the fruit and freshness of the LBV.
The wine can be enjoyed now, and will become more complex with further cellaring for a couple of decades. To fully benefit from its qualities we recommend it be decanted before serving. Serve with soft cheeses, mild blue cheese, dark chocolate desserts or even a pepper steak.
Niepoort is one of the great Port houses and is now in its sixth generation of tradition and innovation. Fifth-generation owner Dirk Niepoort has elevated this house’s status, investing in vineyards in the Douro Valley. Always interested in pushing the boundaries of what the Port wine industry looks like, Dirk, now joined by his son, Daniel, has upped the game of this historic property. Sustainable and organic work in the vineyard and cellar is always prioritized. Working with generations of know-how, Niepoort can be counted on to provide fortified wines that celebrate all that this region has to offer.
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