Description
Niepoort LBV 2012
This is perhaps the most iconic of our Ports. Dirk Niepoort calls it the “younger brother” of the Vintage Port, once the origin of the grapes and vinification methods are identical. Both are made from a selection of full-bodied wines of high quality, produced in a single year. The time this wine spends in large wooden vats ageing (4 years) allows it to mature and settle down, being ready to drink young and right after bottling.
To fully enjoy the qualities it has to offer, we recommend decanting before serving.
This wine is aged for 4-6 years in large old oak vats (as opposed to Vintage Ports, which are aged for 2-3 years). LBV Ports fill the gap between Ruby and Vintage Ports, as Rubies should be drunk quite young and a great Vintage Port may need 15 to 20 years to really open up and show its splendour. This led to the creation of a Port in the 1960s which would undergo 4 to 6 years’ ageing in large vats before being bottled, resulting in a wine of a Vintage Port style with its deep colour and concentration of fruit but with a more mature character due to the extended ageing period in wood.
Vinification
In 2012 the Douro region experienced a lack of rain. As a result, the vegetative cycle of the vine was delayed by 15 days on average compared to previous years. On the other hand, winter 2012 also brought very low temperatures, resulting in homogenous vegetative growth. The temperatures during the ripening period were not as hot as usual, creating a good balance in the total acidity of the grape musts. All grapes for the LBV 2012 were sourced from old vineyards in the Cima Corgo region of the Douro Valley.
Harvest took place during the month of September and after careful selection on the sorting table, the crushed grapes and stems were directly transferred to granite lagares where they were foot-stomped prior to fortification. Following a few cool winter months in the Douro, the wines were transported to the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia at the beginning of 2013 and aged in large wooden vats. They were bottled in the fourth year – the tradition at Niepoort is to retain plenty of freshness in the wines.
Harvest occurred during the month of September and after careful selection on the sorting table, the crushed grapes and stems were directly channeled to granite “lagares” and foot trodden prior to fortification. Following some cool winter months in the Douro, the wines were transported in early 2013 to the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia and aged in large wooden vats and bottled in the fourth year – a tradition at Niepoort to retain freshness in the wines.
Tasting Notes
With its brilliant red appearance and brick red hues on the rim, the wine offers refined aromas of cherries along with a subtle perfumed floral character as well as superb finesse. Essentially the wine is elegant in style, however, the palate presents somewhat of an enigma – initially the fruit and elegance on the nose comes through on the palate, but with gentle extract. It is superbly balanced and fresh, culminating in a somewhat robust and firm finish with a tannic grip. It will be interesting to see this wine develop as it ages, undoubtedly, in a very elegant manner.
Food Suggestions
Bitter chocolate desserts. Cheddar, Gouda and Brie cheese. Spicy dishes with red meat or “wild animals”, lamb and veal meat or pepper steak.
Technical Information
SOIL TYPE Schist
VINEYARDS Vinha da Pisca, Vale do Pinhão and Ferrão
AVERAGE VINE AGE Over 70 years
GRAPE VARIETIES Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Amarela, Sousão, Tinta Roriz and others
VINES PER HA 4000-6000
HARVEST PERIOD September/October
HARVEST METHOD Hand picked
FERMENTATION Lagares (wine press tanks)/Foot treading
BOTTLED 2013
AGEING Large old wooden vats
DRY EXTRACT 119.7
RESIDUAL SUGAR (G/DM3) 96
ALCOHOL (%) 19.5
BAUMÉ 3.1
PH 3.57
TOTAL ACIDITY (G/DM3) 4.44
VOLATILE ACIDITY (G/DM3) 0.22
TOTAL SO2 (MG/DM3) 50
VOLUMIC MASS (G/CM3) 1
PRODUCTION 80.000 bottles
