1997 Niepoort Porto Vintage
Community Tasting Note
erikwiechers wrote:
Sunday, April 27, 2008 - At 7:30 in the morning i decanted it so i could taste the first glass at 5 in the afternoon, this according to Roy's rule of at least 10 hours of decanting.
The colour is very dark red, almost black which turns purple to the edge of the decanter. Excellent tearing when i swirl it around. I leave it alone and let it breathe throughout the day.
First glass at 5:15 PM. Lots of tannines is my first thought when i take my first sip. Spicy smell, though sweet. No signs of VA in this bottle although the taste is also a bit spicy, like cigar-box wood.
I swirl the glass and the good smells starting to come up, i smell cassis, blackberries. The taste is much sweeter now, appearantly it needs time, lots of time. The aftertaste is long and lasts for at least 30 minutes.
When i smell the decanter its sweet with raspberries.
2nd glass, sundaymorning at 10:50 AM ( i know, i'm a freak).
Wow ! Lots of red fruit this time, definately raspberries, cassis, blackberries. Still a little spicy, but not overwhelming. Maybe a little acrimonious, like coffee and tobacco. The tannines are gone, its been in the decanter more than 24 hours now.
I taste it with some Farmhouse Cheddar which is a treat.
So, my conclusion: I'm glad this bottle has no signs of VA although i choose this particular bottle because it had signs of leakage. Overall it was a good bottle but still way too young for this monster. It needs another 10-15 years to reach its prime.
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