Barrel 2 From the same grower this is a different vineyard.
Old vines. A deeper colour, this is spicier, with a smoky edge
to the nose. Chunky, savoury palate with good minerality and a
bit of wood on the finish.
Barrel 3 From older vines (over 100 years old) and very low
yields. Intense savoury, spicy nose with a lemony twist,
showing some acidity. The palate is very woody at the moment;
dry and savoury.
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Barrel 4 Same grower as 3, some granitic soils. Remarkable
tight herby, spicy nose, which is very herby and mineralic.
Chunky, savoury mineralic palate still showing wood.
Barrel 5 From Dirk’s favourite white wine vineyard, this
one is still fermenting. Very lemony, lean and acidic this is
serious stuff from 100 year old vines.
Barrel 6 This is unusual: a TBA from an old vineyard that was
affected by botrytis. Half the grapes were botrytised and half
were raisined. Lovely apricot and peach fruit on the nose.
Lush-textured palate with good acidity and quite a bit of
wood. Quite sweet. Appley edge.
Then on to the reds. A stunning set of components here for
the four Niepoort red wines, even though 2001 was a relatively
tricky vintage.
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n |
 |
Barrel 1 2001 Nápoles, a single Quinta wine from the 13 year
old vines, foot-trodden and fermented in lagares. Deep vivid
purple colour. Lovely forward nose is fruity, rich and
intense. Lovely intensity on the palate with great balance,
showing vivid blackcurrant and red fruits. A big wine this is
stunningly good. Savoury and tight. Excellent
Barrel 2 2001 Nápoles. Much more blackcurrant fruit. Very
good acidity and lots of wood. Very tannic and with high
acidity. Not quite as nice as the first barrel.
Quinta do Carril |
n |
Barrel 3 2001 Redoma. From old vines, mostly north facing
vineyards, this is fermented in stainless steel. Vivid
purple/black colour. Very bright with high acidity. Savoury
and herbal this is very tannic. Excellent
Barrel 4 2001 Batuta. Made from 60 year old vines. An opaque
purple/black colour this is wonderfully intense, displaying
huge concentration. A rich, ripe wine with firm tannins,
savoury character and herbal complexity. Good acidity and
quite elegant despite the concentration. Stunning
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Barrel 5 This is a bit different. Grapes from the Pinhão
valley fermented in lagares with stems. This was originally
intended for Charme but Dirk left it on the stems a bit too
long. It has a stunning nose with wonderfully vivid cherry and
herb character. The palate is tough and stalky – very
savoury.
Barrel 6 From a 100 year old vineyard high up on the slope,
mainly Tinta Roriz and Touriga Francesca. Lovely elegant nose
with spicy cherry fruit: quite breathtaking. Elegant high acid
palate is very savoury. Brilliant
Barrel 7 From old vines high up in the
Douro. Cherry red colour. Lovely cherry/berry nose. Elegant, light high acid
palate is very expressive. Impressive
After this it was lunchtime. Wild boar was on the menu, and
some interesting wines accompanied it. My notes were not
comprehensive, but I’ve included them for the sake of
completeness.
Quinta do Crasto 1999 Tinta Roriz
Rich, dark, tarry and spicy with lots of American oak.
Enjoyable and rich.
Redoma 2000
Focused tight berry fruit with distinctive spicy character.
Very elegant with lots of rich herby complexity
Batuta 2000
Very rich, ripe nose: full liquoricey and ripe. Massive
concentration and very full on, with ripe fruit and spicy
tannins. Complex, savoury and intense, this is sensationally
good.
Real Companhia Velha Evel Grande Eschola 2000
Very concentrated. Spicy intense wine with a liquoricey edge
and quite a bit of structure. Massive concentration.
Impressive stuff.
