Drink Me Port Series Tawny Dee Niepoort

Drink Me Port Series Tawny Dee Niepoort, fruity, fresh, young tawny, very easy drinking, lightly oxidative. The unusually named Tawny Dee, brother to Dum, is classically trodden and fermented with natural yeast in granite lagares and then aged in port pipes (pipas, 500-550 litre old wooden barrels), so as to accelerate the oxidative development. Although aged for only 2-3 years, the flavour development is excellent and Dee shows delicious fruitiness with fresh and dried fruit and a delicate oxidative nutty character. The style is not as oxidative as older Tawnies and is a great half way house for those who like Tawny but find older wines a bit too extreme. This easy Port makes a great accompaniment to a plate of cheese after dinner and once open will keep very well in the fridge for several weeks even months and still taste delicious.

Founded in 1842, the small Port house of Niepoort is now run by 5th generation brother and sister Dirk and Verena Niepoort. Its easy to forget that it was only a few years ago that Niepoort was only sought out by a small band of faithful followers, as stock of remarkable, artisan wines built up in the cramped old Niepoort lodge in Rua Serpa Pinto in Vila Nova de Gaia. These days, with a formidable international reputation which spans all styles from aged tawny to vintage, and all points in between, demand threatens to outstrip supply. Ports are all made at the old Museu de Lagares in Vale de Mendiz, which has the only circular granite Lagares in the Douro. Niepoort's mission has always been to be a "niche player", to produce distinctive Ports and Douro wines, combining centuries-old tradition with innovation. This continues today with new vineyard projects to produce dry, natural wines in the Douro - Bairrada - Dão triangle. The importance attached to understanding soils, climates and grape varieties has led the current head of the business Dirk Niepoort down the path of Biodynamics, a practise that respects the "moods" of Nature, to find a balance between biodiversity and minimum intervention, and the wines really speak for themselves. Many of their vineyards now have organic certification, which is very much against the grain in contemporary Port making. After 150 years of doing things just a little differently, Niepoort are now highly respected for their delicious Ports and an increasing array of natural table wines.