Niepoort - Vintage Port 2017 (375ml)
Price: $53.00
| Producer | Niepoort |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Porto |
| Varietal | Port Blend |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Sku | 04579 |
Niepoort Description
2017 will be remembered for its intense heat and record low levels of rainfall. In spite of the dry weather, flowering and bud burst developed under good conditions, and in August and September the high day temperatures and cool nights allowed for even and gradual ripening. The decision to start harvesting early, at optimum ripeness, allowed us to harvest grapes in ideal condition, with fantastic natural acidity. At the Vale de Mendiz winery, harvest began on 24 August under perfect weather conditions, with musts displaying intense colour and a powerful character. The last grapes were harvested on 26 September. Yields were down by approximately 30% compared to a normal year, essentially due to water stress.
VINIFICATION
All the fruit for the 2017 Vintage Port were foot-trodden in circular granite lagares with 100% of the stems. The wines were racked soon after harvest, aged in tonéis (large barrels) in the Douro over the winter, and then moved to the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia in March 2018.
TASTING NOTES
A wonderful dark purple rim and great depth of colour characterise the wine’s appearance. The aromatic profile is dominated by superb youthful dark fruit. It is powerful on the initial attack, leading into a fresh mid-palate with beautifully seductive flavours of dark fruit. A great combination of power and elegance, ending in a bold, dry, lengthy and slightly green tannic finish. The length and structure of the 2017 vintage promise a long-lived wine with great ageing potential.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Amarela, Sousão, Tinta Roriz and others
BOTTLED June 2019
AGEING 2 years in "tonel"
RESIDUAL SUGAR (G/DM3) 89
ALCOHOL (%) 19.7
BAUMÉ 3.2
PH 3.56
TOTAL ACIDITY (G/DM3) 4.8
VOLATILE ACIDITY (G/DM3) 0.24
TOTAL SO2 (MG/DM3) 53
VOLUMIC MASS (G/CM3) 1.02
FOOD SUGGESTIONS
Perfect with cheeses such as “Queijo da Serra”, Stilton or other blue cheeses, as well as chocolate desserts and blocks of dark chocolate.
Wine Advocate: 99-100 Points
The 2017 Vintage Port is a field blend from old vines (80 to 100 years old). It comes in with 89 grams per liter of residual sugar. This was set for bottling in two weeks, but it was the final blend. Even when open for a couple of days, this was still tight, muscular and concentrated, grabbing the palate and never letting go. On opening, it was fragrant and delicious, but even then, there was plenty of muscle and evident concentration. The concentration and power merely improved as it aired out—unlike a lot of 2016s (which year Niepoort did not declare).
Tasting it after several days open showed that it shut down and closed up in terms of expressiveness, but it definitively proved that it's an old-school, long-haul wine. Dry, stern and long on the finish, this is brilliant. It is hard to think of any basis on which this is not perfection just now—Niepoort says it is the best he's ever made. It's certainly the best I've seen from him, and it is a leading candidate for "Wine of the Vintage," although certainly not the only one. Finally, this is going to require patience. Nothing about it says "drink me now." It should age brilliantly. If you lack a cellar and patience, look away.
James Suckling: 98 Points
Wow. Smoky and intense on the nose with dried fruits and slate undertones. Lots of wet earth too. Full body, sweet yet dry and tannic on the palate. Very powerful and focused. Racy and powerful. A fantastic center palate of fruit. A blend of touriga franca, tinto cao, tinta francisca, tinta amarela, sousao, tinta roriz and others. Drink in 2025 and onwards.
Wine Enthusiast: 96 Points
This aromatic wine is beautifully balanced with big tannins as well as great acidity and black plum fruit flavors. It is in a dry style, as much about richness as sweetness, a fine harbinger for the future. Drink from 2028.
ROGER VOSS
Vinous Media: 96 Points
The 2017 Vintage Port was picked early to obtain optimal ripeness, commencing 24 August and finished 26 September. Yields are some 30% below the previous year. The fruit was foot-trodden in granite lagares and matured in large barrels in Vila Nova de Gaia. It has a refulgent purple colour. The nose is explosive, a heady cornucopia of blueberry, black cherries and crème de cassis, later just a touch of lavender. There is no holding back on these aromatics. The palate follows suit with sumptuous black fruit, quite tannic but simultaneously rounded and lavish/velvety in texture. Touches of fresh fig and raisin appear towards the finish. Drop dead gorgeous.
-- Neal Martin
