TN: 2002 Niepoort Charme Douro

[Frederick Blais]

I couldn't resist to open one of these 2 bottles I brought back from Boston. Charme is amongst my favourite Douro wines, I had the 2002 back in 2005 but from what I tasted and chat with Dirk about it, I probably had a bad bottle. It was time to revisit it again!

Clearly 3 years ago I had an oxydised bottle. This one is looking so young. The nose is incredible, full of young field berry fruits, white truffle, milk chocolate, sweet oak and some smoky flavours. The palate is less complex but showing great depth and finesse. Upon the entry, we feel the berry fruits, some finely grained tannins then get in with a touch of vanilla with fresh acidity kicking in for a lingering finish on fruit and smoke flavours, bitter tannins are still alive after all this. Still a teenager! Next bottle in 5 years minimum. 18/20 points

[Ronald Wortel]

Last time I tasted this was just after bottling. I remember that I just kept sniffing it. The nose is so incredibly beautiful, that it's very hard for the palate to live up to it. A beauty of a wine, and I wish I owned some...

[Andy Velebil]

A very nice wine, but to me shows the early stages of this wine, not quite totally dialed in yet. The 2004, I think, is probably the best one so far.

[Frederick Blais]

To me 2002 is far more close at the moment to Burgundy than 2004 or 2005 which are really on the ripe side compare to 2002. For having tasted 2004 and 2005 quite a few times in the past 2 years, this 2002 was far more refreshing and closer in my opinion to what Niepoort is trying to achieve with Charme.

I wish I had a case :help:

[Frederick Blais]

To me 2002 is far more close at the moment to Burgundy than 2004 or 2005 which are really on the ripe side compare to 2002. For having tasted 2004 and 2005 quite a few times in the past 2 years, this 2002 was far more refreshing and closer in my opinion to what Niepoort is trying to achieve with Charme.

I wish I had a case :help:

Just thought I would bring in this information. When I spoke with Dirk this year about Charme about what he felt would be the ideal Charme he said :"It is simple. The answer is 2005, as usual :)" He thought 2004 was good but with a bit too much of everything in it. For 2002 he did not have it recently.

[Ronald Wortel]

Well, that makes me even more glad to have a couple of bottles of the 2005! And one of them is waiting here in Muscat to be tasted sometime soon...

[David Spriggs]

I'm also glad to have some of the 2004 and 2005. But the 2002 is still my favorite.. what a beauty!

-Dave-

[Frederick Blais]

I'm also glad to have some of the 2004 and 2005. But the 2002 is still my favorite.. what a beauty!

-Dave-

Same here! Right now 2002 is just so perfect, we'll see how the other ones evolve.

[Ronald Wortel]

This week I was able to buy a case of the 2002 Charme at a very good price. Very cool! And very happy, as this was the one that I really still wanted to have some bottles of.

[David Spriggs]

Wow.... nice! That's a very special wine!
-Dave-

[Andy Velebil]

Very cool.. But where in Omen did you manage to find that?

[Moses Botbol]

Very cool.. But where in Omen did you manage to find that?

There's a Niepoort outlet in the center of the city I heard.

[Ronald Wortel]

Very cool.. But where in Omen did you manage to find that?

No Niepoort whatsoever in Oman or the UAE I'm afraid. But internet, wine-searcher and international shipping are a blessing. Only downside is that I can't touch the bottles until I come back to the Netherlands.