Mid-shoulder fill bottle but with a good colour. Red ochre colour, cloudy but despite the cloudiness the wine was only 50% opaque. Spicy, lively and vibrant nose with a very slight oxidised tone. Some heat shows on the entry, and there is a lot of heat on the palate: spice, chilli and cracked peppercorn. Somewhere in the heat is a little bruised cherry, with a good Christmas cake complexity. Heat and peppercorn on the finish; soft bruised cherry on the finish, illuminated with chilli heat. This is a soft and mature Port with a very long finish. 88/100. Decanted ½ hour.
Top 2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!