2024 Niepoort Vintage Port

The 2024 Vintage Port from Niepoort has a very pure, very vinous bouquet with blackberry, mulberry, a very subtle medicinal component, hints of fig emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a grainy textured opening, a little more savoury compared with its peers but beautifully balanced, with an almost unassuming finish that slips down the throat with ease, hints of raisin and dates on the aftertaste. This comes across as more approachable in style, which is the leitmotif of the vintage, but I have no doubt that it will evolve in bottle with style. 94 points

I tasted the final blend of the 2024 Vintage Port they declared. 2024 had lots of winter rain, the rest of the season was quite mild; so, in early September, the grapes had around 11% potential alcohol, which is impossible to make Port! But they waited and waited, and the grapes finally reached good ripeness. It was a good crop and most people will declare a vintage, the first one since 2018. At first winemaker Nick Delaforce thought it was not going to have the required concentration, but they were pleasantly surprised to see how the wine gained weight. It`s still not a monster vintage year; it`s more elegant rather than a monster, vinous, and so balanced that it`s drinkable. It reminded me of wines from 2008, when they didn`t really make a Vintage Port, and 2017. It`s not that sweet (2.9 degrees Baume), and I think the balance is there for the wine to age gracefully and in a more elegant style. 96-98 points