Niepoort 2020 LBV, £15 for a 100ml pour at the Portminster Café in St Ives, Cornwall. The justified recommended wine to accompany a slice of blue cheese with a slice of walnut and honey tart.
From a freshly opened bottle. Dark red, almost black, with a narrow rim. A lovely nose of forest fruits and black cherry. Smooth on the palate with the dark chocolate being most obvious, providing a dusting of incredibly fine tannins. A little menthol heat in the black cherry dissipates slowly but the acidity keeps the wine beautifully focussed. Black cherry and black chocolate on the aftertaste but with a really interesting green leaf twist that elevates this wine’s interest by a notch. This is a great example of a vintage quality Port that has been bottled late to give it a little more smoothness and roundedness but is absolutely capable of aging in the cellar for another decade or more. Delicious now, probably a little better in 2-5 years. 92/100.
Blue cheese with honey and walnut tart
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Top 2025: Quevedo 1972 Colheita, b.2024. Just as good as Niepoort 1900!
2026: DR Very Old White, Graham Stone Terraces 2011, Quevedo Branco 1986 b.2026
This LBV along with the 2011 Warre LBV are the two we buy a lot of. I'm a big fan of the '20 Niepoort LBV but have seen a little variance in 15-20 bottles we've had so far.
I still like them quite a bit, but in my experience they're no longer built for the long haul. After 6 or 7 years they really start to noticeably decline. Had the 2016, the 2017, and the 2018 all at the same table a few weeks ago and the decline was apparent, particularly in the 2016. Which is a bit unfortunate, as they used to be my go-to LBVs for a little bit of ageing, alongside the Warre traditional.
