Niepoort LBV 2021

Niepoort LBV 2021 is a Late Bottled Vintage Port from Niepoort, a Douro house founded in 1842 and now run by Dirk Niepoort, the fifth generation of the family. It is a blend of traditional Douro varieties including Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cao, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Amarela, Sousao and Tinta Roriz. The Douro Valley is built on steep terraces of schist, a stone that radiates stored heat and forces the vines deep for water, concentrating colour and flavour in the small berries. Niepoort works in the traditional way, treading the grapes by foot, fermenting in cement tanks and ageing in pipes, the 550-litre casks used for Port, alongside more modern handling of the fruit. Fermentation is stopped early with grape spirit, lifting the wine to around 19 percent while keeping its natural sweetness, after which a Late Bottled Vintage is aged in wood for several years before bottling, which softens the tannins. The colour is deep, almost opaque. The nose is full, with ripe plum, black cherry and red berries over cocoa and pepper. The palate is rich and warming, concentrated and gently sweet, with firm but ripe tannin and a long, spiced finish. Serve lightly cool at around 16 to 18 degrees in a standard wine glass.