Niepoort Vertente, Douro 1.5 Litre Magnum

Description

Niepoort Vertente is red wine mad by Dirk Niepoort in the Portugal’s Douro Valley and combines the fruit and concentration typical of Douro red wines with the elegance that Niepoort likes to demonstrate in his wines.

Niepoort Vertente is made from grapes sourced two areas. Frstly they are sourced from from vineyards with an average age of 25 years old from around Niepoort’s Quinta de Napoles winery in the Tedo Valley. The remaining grapes are sourced from old vines (60 years) on the slopes of the Pinhao River in the Vale do Pinhao. The grapes are hand harvested in September with selection at the vineyard and at sorting tables at the winery. The grapes are predominantly Tinta Amarela and Touriga Franca with other Douro grape varieties. 70% of the wine is fermented in stainless steel wine presses and 30% in conical shaped stainless steel vats. The wine is then aged for 18 months in French oak barrels where it undergoes malolactic fermentation.

Niepoort Vertente is a dense, complex and fresh wine, pleasant to drink now but also with great potential for ageing.