2005 Niepoort VP
Posted: 17:16 Sun 18 Nov 2007
I was eager to taste this again. I tasted it as a barrel sample back in March and was a bit disappointed by it. In the meantime I've heard so many positive reviews, that I wanted to find out if I've judged it wrongly back then.
Tasted from half bottle. First notes are directly after decanting.
Pitch black colour, quite modest on the nose: mineral, very floral and fresh cherries. Fruity taste, elegant and medium bodied, with a very dry, tannic finish. Although the flavours are nice, there seems to be a sort of hollowness on the midpalate. Definitely not a blockbuster like the '03. Let's see how this develops with some air.
+3 hours
Hardly any change on the nose, perhaps slightly more alcoholic. LadyR are also notices some green (vegetable) notes that she finds typical for young Niepoort. It's a bit more full-bodied in the mouth, more spicy and peppery. Darker too, with some dark chocolate and coffee, still very noticeable, coarse and dry tannins. It's developing in the right direction. A very good glass of port at this point, although not a classis Niepoort. 88-89 points.
+24 hours
Warm and fruity nose with some asian spice. A well-knit and compact glass of port, that hasn't changed much from the day before. Maybe it's become a bit more supple. I'll stick with my initial score, but LadyR is a bit more harsh and gives it 87.
This tasting is pretty much in line with my experience in March. I will not buy any of these, with the 2003 and 2000 in stores for similar prices.
Tasted from half bottle. First notes are directly after decanting.
Pitch black colour, quite modest on the nose: mineral, very floral and fresh cherries. Fruity taste, elegant and medium bodied, with a very dry, tannic finish. Although the flavours are nice, there seems to be a sort of hollowness on the midpalate. Definitely not a blockbuster like the '03. Let's see how this develops with some air.
+3 hours
Hardly any change on the nose, perhaps slightly more alcoholic. LadyR are also notices some green (vegetable) notes that she finds typical for young Niepoort. It's a bit more full-bodied in the mouth, more spicy and peppery. Darker too, with some dark chocolate and coffee, still very noticeable, coarse and dry tannins. It's developing in the right direction. A very good glass of port at this point, although not a classis Niepoort. 88-89 points.
+24 hours
Warm and fruity nose with some asian spice. A well-knit and compact glass of port, that hasn't changed much from the day before. Maybe it's become a bit more supple. I'll stick with my initial score, but LadyR is a bit more harsh and gives it 87.
This tasting is pretty much in line with my experience in March. I will not buy any of these, with the 2003 and 2000 in stores for similar prices.