Niepoort 2017 Vintage Port

Description

Niepoort 2017 Vintage Port is a superb wine from a superb vintage. As Dirk Niepoort declared, “the 2017 Vintage Port is epic and a triumph, the best I’ve witnessed in all my years at Niepoort”.

2017 Vintage

The 2017 Port Vintage is of exceptional quality. So much so that The Symington Family have declared the first back to back vintage declaration in the family’s 137 year history. The vintage was characterised by intense heat with record low levels of rainfall. Flowering and bud burst developed under good conditions and the high daytime temperatures and cool nights in August and September allowed for a gradual and even ripening. Harvest was exceptionally early, with some producers harvesting at the beginning of August. The harvest was around 20 to 30% down on a normal harvest, basically due to water stress. So, 2017 produced a smaller quantity of excellent fruit. Conditions were similar to 1945, an extremely highly regarded vintage.  Expect powerful, intense and complex wines with great aromas and freshness.

Niepoort 2017 Vintage Port

Vinification – All the components for 2017 Vintage Port were trodden by foot in circular
granite lagares with 100% of stems. The wines were racked soon after
harvest, aged in “tonéis” in the Douro over the winter, and then moved to the
cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia in March 2018

Tasting Notes, from Niepoort: “A wonderful dark purple rim and great depth of colour marks the appearance. The aroma is dominated by a superb youthful dark fruit. It is powerful on the front palate, leading into a fresh middle palate with very seductive flavours of dark fruits. A great combination of power and elegance, ends in a bold, dry and lengthy, slightly green tannic finish. The length and structure of the 2017 promise a wine for the long term with great ageing potential.”

Grapes are sourced from several old vine vineyards in the Cima Corgo with ages of 80 to over 100 years old. The wine is a blend of Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Amarela, Sousão, Tinta Roriz and others. All the fruit for the 2017 Vintage Port was foot-trodden in circular granite lagares with 100% whole bunches. 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.

Around 3,375 nine litre cases produced.