2000 Niepoort

Half-bottle. Very crumbly cork. Deep bricky garnet. Rich mushroom and undergrowth aromas more like a mature red than a port but with the ripeness of dried cherry and red plum. On the palate, it is spicy, rich, warming and complex. Warm bricks with sweetness and power. So many entangled flavours that are hard to describe. Just about ready to broach but still a very long way to go. (JH)

All the wine was made by them (ie no bought-in wine). Dirk Niepoort started making port in 1987 and, he says, in 1994 we were ‘starting to make it properly’. Passadouro was his playground. In 2003 they bought Val Mendiz but the biggest step-up in quality came with this vintage. Made at Passsadouro. All foot-trodden, all old vines. pH 3.59, RS 103 g/l. Smudgy deep ruby. Intensely red fruited on the nose. So much bright fruit even now. Plus an attractive earthy duskiness. A thick layer of fine-grained, dry-textured tannins. Dark and rocky on the palate, full of Douro savoury terroir and the sweetness almost inconsequential. (JH)

Gorgeous smoky notes on the nose plus a bit of bitter herbal scent. Rich and potent on the palate, with some residual burn on the finish which just slightly undermines the balance. I’d be tempted to chill this very slightly to de-emphasise the heat. Otherwise, there’s loads of delicious flavour on offer, combining primary fruit and tertiary earthiness very well. (RH)