2008 Niepoort Douro Tiara Branco

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 89 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  7/13/2021 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points

  A blend of old-vine (40-100 yo) Códega, Rabigato, Donzelinho, Viosinho, Cercial and other local white varieties. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, MLF blocked, aged for 4 months on fine lees, then racked off the lees. Aged in stainless steel for a total of 8 months before bottling in June 2009. 12,4% alcohol, 4 g/l residual sugar, 5,67 g/l acidity, 0,47 g/l VA, pH 3,22 and 20,6 g/l dry extract. Total production 10,200 bottles. Tasted fully blind.
  
  Medium-deep honey yellow color. Enjoyably evolved and slightly nutty nose with aromas of slivered almonds, cantaloupe, some woolly lanolin, a little bit of beeswax, light fresh notes of star fruit, toasty hints of browned butter and fresh brioche and a creamy touch of crema catalana. The wine feels balanced, evolved and slightly oily on the palate with a medium body and very complex flavors of peanut butter, wizened golden apples, some marzipan, a little bit of beeswax, light sweet notes of honeydew melon, a slightly aldehydic hint of sorrel and a touch of cooked carrot. Fascinating stuff. The bright acidity keeps the wine wonderfully fresh and quite light on its feet despite its evolved flavors and slightly viscous mouthfeel. The complex finish is long and quite evolved with layered flavors of cooked cream and browned butter, some nutty notes of chopped almonds, a little bit of wizened apricot, light marzipan notes, a hint of honeyed sweetness and a touch of pineapple.
  
  A wonderfully fresh, balanced and complex white Douro that is in a beautiful spot right now, at 13 years of age. Shows a beautiful combination of tertiary, nutty complexity, rich and sweet-toned exotic fruit notes and bright, refreshing acidity. It was quite impossible for all the attendees to guess this correctly, but everybody seemed to enjoy the bottle greatly nevertheless. A very delicious and rewarding wine. Outstanding value at 25€.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View ClausP's profile
  • Report Issue

  4/12/2012 - ClausP wrote: 89 Points

  great wine that goes very well with food, but the slightly resin like bitterness does make it a little akward on its own.
  normal retail price is definately to high, but a very good wine none the less

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View docvin1107's profile
  • Report Issue

  6/2/2011 - docvin1107 wrote: 87 Points

  Light greenish color. Green/grassy, lemon, green bell pepper. High acidity and minerality. Clean and fresh. Medium finish. 87-88

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View honest bob's profile
  • Report Issue

  4/22/2011 - honest bob wrote: 84 Points

  As I know this is a Portuguese wine, this strikes me as resembling an unusually concentrated Vinho Verde, with a bone-dry entry, a vaguely dry hay-like, not-quite-ripe-melony mid-palate and a short, slightly bitter finish. But it could actually just as well be a well crafted blend of 25% basic Grüner Veltliner, 25% Gavi de Gavi, 25% Franconian Sylvaner and 25% Pinot Blanc from Alsace. In short, this modern style clean cut Euro-wine has no flaws but also no glints of excellence; at €23,50 retail it is, simply put, a con. At €11 it might have been an acceptable value. A Spanish Albarinho (€13) drunk directly before offered more individuality and simply smelled and tasted better. 84P

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Rein's profile
  • Report Issue

  2/6/2011 - Rein wrote: 90 Points

  bright white/yellow colour, in the nose mineral, white citrus, lyche, green apples. Taste complex (fruit and mineral as in the nose), little acid, little sweet. Reminds me to a dry Pinot Gris.
  Had it with grilled gamba's and green aspargus, perfect. With grilled tuna a little bit to soft.
  All local grapes, Alsace style bottle.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 6 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.