1982 Niepoort vintage port

[Rune EG]

Seen very few tasting notes of this Niepoort vintage 1982. The bottle was stored at Niepoort’s own cellar at Quinta de Napoles in Douro and in May 2018 brought straight home to our cellar in Norway. This bottle has had much less movements during its life than most bottles of that age (36 years). It appeared to be a very nice vintage port and we gave it higher scores than I have seen anywhere for that Niepoort vintage.

Decanted 4 hrs which proved to be right for this bottle. 60 % of the cork was soaking wet. Managed to get it up in one piece with the help of a corkscrew with “wings” making it possible to have a slow and controlled lift of the cork.
Medium red colour with a touch of brown. Pleasant aroma with a mix of oak, minerals and herbs combined with a general sweet impression. Full body. Taste is powerful and elegant with a sweet style (not too sweet). Liquorice, herbs, wet wood and a further complexity which is demanding to describe. Well-structured vintage port with balanced acidity/sweetness. Both tannins and the freshness are very nice. Long aftertaste. 94 pts.