1994 Niepoort Colheita (bottled 2006)

[Alex Bridgeman]

Bottled 2006. Mid red colour, light centre. A slightly strange plasticine nose but with plenty of strawberry fruit. Sweet but a little flavourless entry, but the mid-palate is full of hot spice and juniper berries. Some slight heat on the aftertaste and with a finish that concentrates a bitterness on the centre of the tongue. 85/100. Drunk 11 Feb 2010.

[Chris Doty]

#3 on the night for me. Niepoorts had shown well tonight, and despite a clear alcoholic component on both the 94 and the 68, the mid-palates of each are so seductive that it makes it fairly easy to overlook modest shortcomings elsewhere in the wines. This almost had a mulled wine component to me, with bits of clove, cinnamon, and other spices bouncing around. Very nice, but not something I would beat up my grandmother for at the liquor store.

85