Niepoort Poeirinho Garrafeira, Bairrada

Description

Niepoort Poeirinho Garrafeira is a very limited reserve, or “Garrafeira” version of Niepoort Poeirinho. There were just two barrels of this wine made. It is made in the same way as the Poeirinho but these barrels were a little slower than the rest and showed an increased elegance and freshness. Dirk Niepoort decided to put aside these two vats and mature the wine for a longer period.

Wine has been made in the Bairrada region since the 10th century and it is most famous for the Baga grape variety. Indeed, Niepoort Poerinnho is made from 100% Baga and is so-called because Poeirinho is the old name for Baga. Famed winemaker Dirk Niepoort occasionally makes excursions outside of his Douro home which has led to collaborations in the Dao, Jerez in Spain and now Bairrada. Dirk has been hunting down small parcels of Baga from very old vines throughout the Cantanhede sub-region that will produce a wine that is light in colour and alcohol that will have huge ageing potential.

Grapes for this wine were hand picked from vineyards with an average vine age of 80 to 150 years old. Harvest began in late September and the grapes were picked when a good balance of natural sugar content and good acidity had been reached. Niepoort Poeirinho is vinified partly in lagar (20% with stem) and partly in stainless steel vats (15% with stem) where it macerated for 4 weeks. The wine was then allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation in old 2500L oak barrels where it was aged for 20 months prior to bottling. The wine matured in these vats for 3½ years and was
then bottled unfiltered.