Niepoort Crusted Port Dec. 2014

Niepoort Crusted Port Dec. 2014

This Niepoort Crusted Port Dec. 2014 comes from vineyards near the Niepoort winery in Vale Mendiz as well as from old vineyards in Vale do Pinhão, which were harvested in the years 2012 and 2013.

The grapes, with 100% stems, were crushed in the round mills in Vale de Mendiz, and the wine was then aged in vats in our cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia. Production was small, with a total of 10,000 bottles.

Scent: Has a beautiful dark red color with fine aromas of cherries and black plums along with hints of fine mint and licorice.
Taste: Here the tannins dominate the taste with ripe fruits and a long finish. Very lively that begins to reveal aging in the bottle. It will certainly be very good to be consumed, but it still has the potential for aging for several decades.
Server for: Chocolate desserts, especially dark chocolate. Cheddar, Gouda and Brie cheeses. Spicy dishes with red meat or "wild animals", lamb, venison or pepper steak.
Serving temperature: 16-18°C.

This Crusted Port is a fantastic addition to the well-known and recognized Vintage and Late Bottled Vintage from Niepoort. Traditionally, it is selected from among vintage quality wines, from two or three harvests that are not subjected to any binding or filtering. Crusted is not marketed until three years after bottling.

As the name suggests, Crusted creates a natural deposit in the bottle over time, so it should be decanted before serving. This port is extremely appealing in its youth, but it also benefits from several years of bottle aging, so it should be kept lying down.

About the Vinhuset:

At Niepoort, the family has been in charge of operations for five generations. Eduard Dirk Niepoort most recently took over the company in 2005 when his father retired. In order to preserve the spirit and style of the wine, the aim has always been for two generations to work together in the company. Dirk has been with the company since 1987, and from the start he has had his own visions, which were awakened during his studies in, among other places, Switzerland. Dirk wants to keep the style of the house and at the same time improve things. The production of Niepoort's famous classic quality port wines can be traced back to the company's founding in 1842, and it is precisely these old traditions that Dirk wants to keep while at the same time developing the products.

Niepoort sources its grapes from its own vineyards and from a number of small winegrowers in the Douro Valley. Here, the vines grow on terraced hillsides, where the soil is primarily slate, and the climate is characterized by long, hot summers, scant rainfall, and a cool wind from the sea that keeps the grapes cool until the morning. All factors that ensure perfectly ripe grapes with plenty of intensity and typicity.