2006 Niepoort Douro Vertente - Portugal, Douro (7/25/2009)
WIML91+
Tasted July 25, 2009 at a retail tasting.
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of blueberries, vanilla, soft spices and berries. Flavors of black licorice, black currants and black berries. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink over the medium term. (91 pts.)
Thanks for this note, Joe. I’ve enjoyed the ‘03-‘05 vintages, although not quite as much as you enjoyed this ‘06. For under $25, I’ve always found this to be a good deal for a dry red from Portugal. I’ve also found that this bottling, like so many other dry reds from Portugal, tends to show its best on Days 2 and 3.
EDIT: just checked - apparently I liked the '03 just as much as you liked this '06.
Joe,
Glad you like it. The Vertente has always been a solid QPR of the Niepoort dry wine line up. I’ve been drinking them since the 2001 version, and I still have a 2001 left to see how it holds up with extended aging as an experiment.
Brian,
You are spot on with many of the top Douro reds when they are young. Often they do best on day 2, then again, these top Douro wines are meant to age so that explains.
Many lower end Douro reds do far better with at least 1-2 hours of decanting, even some basic $15-20 dollar bottles. It is advice I generally tell people before they drink them.
My experience has been that the bouquets on these wines tend to explode with extended air time, whereas they are often tight and uninteresting on Day 1. I truly believe Portugal could be the next GREAT dry red wine producing region – if the winemakers there want it!