Niepoort Secundum 2003 Vintage Port

Description

Niepoort 2003 Secundum Vintage Port is a different style of Vintage Port to Dirk Niepoort’s main vintage. The intention of Niepoort Secundum Vintage Port is to provide an approachable Vintage Port that offers immediate satisfaction yet is well-balanced enough to age for decades. It is not a second wine, but instead an alternative, slightly more affordable bottling for Niepoort fans. As Niepoort say if one “compares the Niepoort’s Vintage Port with classic music then Secumdum would be like Mozart, young, charming, creative and tangible; and the Vintage like Bach: intense, profound, complex and less accessible.”

Niepoort is a family company now in its fifth generation and presently managed by Dirk Niepoort. Despite being the second smallest shippers in the trade they are second to none in quality. Already famous for their classic tawny ports, they have now joined the ranks of the great producers of Vintage Port. Reputations take long to establish and only when there is a genuine commitment to quality throughout the company is a name made. Ever since he began running Niepoort, Dirk has been relentless in his efforts to improve the winemaking skills of the growers he buys from. He has also been tireless in his search for more top quality grapes, with a particular penchant for the “old and gnarled” vineyards.

The grapes for Niepoort 2003 Secundum Vintage Port were selected from over 70 year old vines and the main varieties are Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinta Francisca and Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, Sousão and others. The grapes were foot trodden and the ageing was in large old oak vats at Niepoort’s lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia.