These are my tasting notes for the first day of a three day tasting event with Dirk Niepoort in Seattle. I've tasting Dirk's wines for many years, but I have to say that this was the most consistant and impressive tasting that I've had of his wines.
Pre-dinner wines
We started off on the deck with a couple of whites. The Coche may be the best Douro white I've ever had!
- 2010 Niepoort Douro Redoma Branco Reserva - Portugal, Douro
Pale color - touch of green. Punjent nose of lemon and herbs. A bright wine. Almost a hint of apricot in the mid-palate. Excellent acidity. Fantastic food wine. Lean, but satisfying in a Chablis sort of way. (92 pts.) - 2010 Niepoort Douro Coche Branco - Portugal, Douro
Straw color. Really enticing green tint. Looks like Chablis. Big, complex entry fills the mouth, then explodes with complex herb and stone fruits. Perfect grip due to very solid acidity. Amazing wine! (96 pts.)
With the start of dinner we had a rose and a few whites
- 2009 Niepoort Douro Redoma Rosé - Portugal, Douro
Really amazing strawberry nose. Appears to be quite primary. Very intense strawberry flavor. Big for a rosé. Could use more time. Almost Beaujolais-like. Bright finish. (89 pts.) - 2005 Niepoort Douro Redoma Branco Reserva - Portugal, Douro
Very steely nose. Taught entry. Seems quite young. This has held up incredibly well for a Douro white! Only half mature. The oak is very well integrated now. (93 pts.) - 2006 Niepoort Douro Redoma Branco Reserva - Portugal, Douro
Smokey nose. Very smooth. Nice wine. Very "polite". Almost like a Rhone white. I still believe that this is the weakest of the Niepoort Redoma Reservas. Still quite good. (91 pts.)
We opened a flight of Batuta to go with the steak
- 2008 Niepoort Douro Batuta - Portugal, Douro
Deep black cherry nose. Black fruits the palate echo the nose. Wonderful balance. This will live a long time. Long, long finish! Perfect acidity. An ageless wine. This might be my favorite Batuta! (94 pts.) - 2001 Niepoort Douro Batuta - Portugal, Douro
"Cheesy" nose. Mature notes. Huge entry! Very smooth. This is a big, rich mouthful. Long mineral finish. Tart, but balanced. I love the style of this "old school" Douro wine! I believe that this wine will hold at this level for quite a number of years. No rush at all to drink up. (93 pts.) - 2004 Niepoort Douro Batuta - Portugal, Douro
Very dark color. Really engaging entry. SO suave and fulll bodied. But then the finish is still quite tannic! Impressive, but needs 5 years more aging - 10 years would likely be better. (92 pts.)
And part way through the main course we switched to Charme and the ultra rare Robustus. Dirk insisted that the ligter (Burgundy style) Charme be served after the more Bordeaux inspired Batuta. I now agree! This was the best showing of Charme ever foir me. Having Charme follow Batuta really showcased out the transparancy in the Charme.
- 2002 Niepoort Douro Charme - Portugal, Douro
Medium ruby color. Very Pinot-like nose - earthy, bright red fruits! So suave. Medium bodied. Incredible balance, What a wonderful wine! Maybe my favorite Douro wine ever! (96 pts.) - 2007 Niepoort Douro Charme - Portugal, Douro
Intense black cherry nose. Red and black fruit flavors. Delicious! The acidity in this wine is sneaky. Quite young still. Really long persistant finish. You have to swallow twice! Impressive!! (95 pts.) - 2005 Niepoort Douro Charme - Portugal, Douro
Light cherry nose. Intense red cherry palate. Medium full bodied. Extermely long tart finish. Excellent, but a bit new world in style. Later on -- gaining a strong minerality. A very strong wine. Really blossomed with time in the glass. Needs at least 5 more years aging. (93 pts.) - 2008 Niepoort Douro Charme - Portugal, Douro
Strawberry Ros� nose. Loving this wine. Is this a better/ younger version of the incredible 2002 Charme? Interesting earthiness. Extremely long finish. Some tannins show in the finish, but they are fine. No doubt that they will resolve. I cannot spit this wine - *must drink*. This picked up a great mineral finish with aeration. Very very impressive!! (96 pts.) - 2004 Niepoort Douro Robustus - Portugal, Douro
Dark color. Huge nose. Almost Amarone-like. This is an amazing wine. Very big, but with super acidity. Smooth, huge, but somehow refreshing and very drinkable. So concertrated... and so memorable. Impressive stuff! (96 pts.)
Of course the Port had to come out as a finisher.
- 1970 Niepoort Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto
Unbelievable bottle! So ridiculously dark. Coffee nose. Very young and dense. Seems surprisingly primary. Still some unresolved tannins. Long finish. With more time, there is an appealing confectionery aspect that emerges. I have had other bottles of this wine and they were more than ready to drink (and actually quite average). This particular bottle needs at least 10 more years of bottle age. Superb! (94 pts.) - 1944 Niepoort Porto Colheita - Portugal, Douro, Porto
Beautifully complex nose. Caramel, apricots. Needs some swirling to open up. Coffee flavors. Very solid acidity. It's a touch coarse for me. I prefer a more lively, less heavy handed Colheita. (91 pts.)