2020 Niepoort Redoma Branco (Douro)

Full bottle 1,311 g. Fruit from old vines growing on the right bank of the Douro River, at an elevation of 400–600 m. The predominant grape varieties in this field blend are Rabigato, Códega do Larinho, Viosinho, Donzelinho and Gouveio. Mica schist soils. Alcoholic fermentation took place spontaneously, in 228-litre and 500-litre French oak barrels, where the wine also aged for 8 months. Wonderfully inviting aroma that is a complex, integrated mix of fruit and winemaking and site. Peppery grapefruit as well as a riper creaminess that is both elegant and seductive. Bone dry, chalky, lean but not mean. More austere than I expected from the aroma but not surprising with such moderate alcohol – must have been picked pretty early. Elegant, refined and markedly mineral on the finish, with an impression of chalky stone dust. Fresh, almost biting, and extremely persistent. A model of intensity and restraint at the same time and still very youthful. Mouth-watering persistence and long, stony finish. 17 points