‘It is hard to think of any basis on which this is not perfection.’ –The Wine Advocate, (99-100) points

“It’s possibly our finest Vintage Port since 1945.” - Dirk Niepoort

Some will say that you have to lay down Vintage Port for decades. Poppycock. You can enjoy it in its youth for all its spectacular blackberry braggadocio and inky intensity (“ridiculously delicious now even though it clearly has massive potential longevity”, says Jancis Robinson), but it will, of course, become a much more complex and mellow creature after a decade or so in the cellar. It’s almost two wines for the price of one!

Reviews:

Jancis Robinson: “Black cherry colour with narrow purple rim. Gorgeous pure hedgerow black fruit and no sense of the alcohol on the nose – it has been completely integrated with the fruit already. Ripe blackberry, elderberry and blackcurrant and a touch of spice, wild fruit. Incredibly intense on the palate but not showy and the tannins make it taste almost dry. Wonderful texture, great freshness, the tannins ‘sweep the sweetness out of the mouth’, as Mondavi once said to Niepoort. Incredible purity, freshness, intensity and harmony. I’ve put a start date of 2025 but this is ridiculously delicious now even though it clearly has massive potential longevity. An incredible dark, rocky purity with a long savoury finish, the fruit is intense but not ultra-fruity. This reminds me of the rocky Douro from which the wines come. Sheer beauty with hidden power. Glorious, very long, totally moreish even now. Drink 2025-2070.” 19.5 points

The Wine Advocate: “The 2017 Vintage Port is a field blend from old vines (80 to 100 years old). It comes in with 89 grams per litre of residual sugar. This was set for bottling in two weeks, but it was the final blend. Even when open for a couple of days, this was still tight, muscular and concentrated, grabbing the palate and never letting go. On opening, it was fragrant and delicious, but even then, there was plenty of muscle and evident concentration. The concentration and power merely improved as it aired out - unlike a lot of 2016s (which year Niepoort did not declare). Tasting it after several days open showed that it shut down and closed up in terms of expressiveness, but it definitively proved that it's an old-school, long-haul wine. Dry, stern and long on the finish, this is brilliant. It is hard to think of any basis on which this is not perfection just now—Niepoort says it is the best he's ever made. It's certainly the best I've seen from him, and it is a leading candidate for ‘Wine of the Vintage’, although certainly not the only one. Finally, this is going to require patience. Nothing about it says "drink me now." It should age brilliantly. If you lack a cellar and patience, look away. Drink 2035-2085.” (99-100) points

EXTREMELY LIMITED. MAXIMUM 1 BOTTLE PER CUSTOMER. NOT AVAILABLE ON ITS OWN, MUST BE PART OF AN ORDER THAT MEETS OUR MINIMUM REQUIREMENT OF 6 BOTTLES. UK MAINLAND ONLY.