2011 Niepoort, Bioma, Vinha Velha, Port, Portugal

2011 Niepoort, Bioma, Vinha Velha, Port, Portugal

Product: 20118040109
Prices start from £195.00 per case Buying options
2011 Niepoort, Bioma, Vinha Velha, Port, Portugal

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
Case format
Availability
Price per case
3 x 75cl bottle
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £195.00
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £195.00
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £225.00
See more listings+
See more listings
You can place a bid for this wine on BBX

Description

80-years of age at their youngest, these venerable vines at the beautiful Vinha da Pisca have been foot-trodden in unique circular lagares and aged in pipas for their (cold) second winter. Near opaque in colour and aromatically reticent, the wine starts to sing on the palate, where dark chocolate and dark fruit do not presage a heart of darkness but rather an exceptionally pure and powerful core, bolstered by dense assertive tannins and a fresh, incisive finish.
Simon Field MW, Port Buyer

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

Critics reviews

Wine Advocate90-92/100
Compared to other 2011s, the Bioma Vinha Velha has a more introspective, broody, earthier bouquet that is well-defined but much more reticent than its peers. The palate is showing much more than the aromatics with a robust structure on the opening, and thereafter there is real power and precision. Plenty of white pepper sprinkled over the black fruit that leads to a lovely damson and fig-tinged finish. This will need several years in bottle and no doubt will receive a more ecstatic reception. Tasted May 2013.
Neal Martin - 28/06/2013 Read more

About this WINE

Niepoort

Niepoort

While several notable Scots and English families (Graham, Warre and Taylor, for example) emigrated to the Douro valley in the 18th century, others from Port-importing countries did likewise, and the Niepoorts arrived from the Netherlands.

Dirk Niepoort now runs the firm, with a dedication and enthusiasm that has made him one of the most popular figures in the wine trade. Niepoort was formerly more well-known for its Colheita wines, the vintage tawny Ports that are not often exported.

Dirk has striven to improve the company's Vintage Ports; His vineyards were upgraded (notably most are farmed organically, without any pesticides and herbicides) and the winery completely revamped.  As for the grape crushing, Dirk is a passionate advocate of the traditional method of 'treading' (by foot) to extract maximum colour and flavour. These efforts resulted in magnificent examples from recently declared years.

Niepoort Vintage Port has a style that can be appreciated when very young, though as it matures, the wine soon closes up and becomes as long-lived as any.

The company used to buy all its grapes from small growers but since the end of the 1980s, Niepoort has invested in their own quintas. In 1988 it purchased Nápoles, followed by Carril in 1989 and Quinta do Passadouro, an estate made up of four tiny quintas, in 1990.

Dirk Niepoort deserves the accolades he receives for his hard work, though this also means the company's wines have become increasingly scarce.

Find out more
Vintage Port

Vintage Port

Vintage Port accounts for only a small percentage of the total Port production - which includes Tawny, Ruby, Late Bottled Vintage, Single Quinta Vintage styles, among others - but is the finest, longest-lived and most expensive style that is produced. The best are as good as any wine in existence.

With the exception of legendary vineyards like Quinta do Noval Nacional and Quinta do Vesuvio, Vintage Port is made from a blend of wines from a producer's finest plots. It is aged for around 18 months in wooden casks before bottling; from then on the watch-word is patience. At least 15 years ageing – and for the top wines it will be significantly longer – is required before the tannins, spirit and fruit are fully integrated. Indeed, the finest examples can last well over 50 years. 

Vintage Port is only made in exceptional years (normally around three times per decade) with considerable stylistic variation between different years and shippers. However, they all share a sweet, warming, spicy richness, power and complexity. In other good but not great vintages, many shippers produce a  Single Quinta Vintage Port from their finest vineyard. These are made in the same way and have the same style as Vintage Port but tend to mature faster and are less profound. All Vintage Port throws a sediment as it matures, and thus requires decanting.

Find out more
Port Blend

Port Blend

There are around 40 different grape varieties permitted in the production of Port - however the vast majority of Ports are produced from a blend of 5 grapes - Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinto Cão.

Touriga Nacional produces small, dark-skinned grapes that produce opaque black wines of great extract and high tannins - it gives grip, body, and structure to the blend.

Touriga Franca has a thinner skin and consequently produces wines lighter in colour and tannins than Touriga Nacional. It contributes fruit, aroma, suppleness and roundness.

Tinta Roriz is the Portuguese name for Tempranillo and its high sugar content and low acidity contribute colour and fruit.

Tinta Barroca which is normally grown at highish altitudes and on north-facing slopes, is prized for producing wines of delicacy, finesse and with smooth, velvety fruit. It brings elegance and sweet, ripe fruit to the final blend.

Finally Tinto Cão produces fine and complex wines, though it is probably the least important of the 5 grapes as its painfully small yields have reduced plantings to almost insignificant levels.

Find out more