1978 Niepoort

[Alex Bridgeman]

Drunk at Quinta de Vale d'Agodinho with Oscar and Claudia Quevedo, Luis Sottomayor and Rob Coombes. Dark mahogany red, 50% opaque. Dirty nose but some swirling generates a bit of marmalade. A sip brings a huge burst of orange, soft and very velvety. The orange is tangerine, fragrant and floral. There are still tannins in the port, but these are soft and evolved. This is elegant and modest on the palate. The surprise is the aftertaste - to swallow a mouthful of smooth tangerine and have an explosion of pepper before the tangerines come back for the finish was very unexpected. One to drink up. 87/100. Drunk 23-Sep-14. Decant N/K.