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2003 Niepoort Douro Vertente - Portugal, Douro (7/29/2009)
– popped and poured –
– tasted single-blind against the '04 vintage over 2 days –
NOSE: tawny port; leather; initially I thought this might be a tad oxidized, but that impression gave way to thoughts of slight bottle age or reduction; hint of anise; purple fruits; hints of smoke and cinnamon; a very enjoyable bouquet.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter; garnet-magenta color of medium depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: plum; leather; hint of eucalyptus (very beginning of bottle age); a bit hot; much greater depth of flavor than the other wine; like the other wine, this is probably a “drink now,” but I do see a couple years of staying power in this bottle, whereas I don’t get that in the other; tannins do grip a bit on the finish (40 - 45 sec.); some deep florals; well-balanced. This is pretty much what I’m looking for from a cheap(er) Douro red. Nicely done.
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 7 = 91
A: 50, 5, 11, 16, 7 = 89
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2004 Niepoort Douro Vertente - Portugal, Douro (7/29/2009)
– popped and poured –
– tasted single-blind against the '03 over 2 days –
NOSE: alcohol (hint of v/a ?); smells younger than the other (less tawny); a bit raisiny with notes of leather and cigar; tighter than the bouquet on the other glass. A: slight barnyard nose.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter; magenta-garnet color of medium depth; medium-light bodied.
TASTE: golden tobacco with a slight hint of minerality; mildly sweet and somewhat simple; I do like the acidity here (probably a bit on the acidic side of well-balanced) and could see this working well with a wide range of foods, including seafood; finish is about 40-50 sec. in length (same as other glass), but not as intense as the other wine; a tiny bit hot on the finish; drink now. A: slight strawberry fruit.
B: 50, 5, 11, 15, 6 = 87
A: 50, 5, 11, 15, 6 = 87
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