Tiara Branco, Niepoort, 75cl

From wacky maverick to the highest profile and most respected winemaker in the Douro Valley, Dirk Niepoort’s journey has been a long one, even if it has been in a pretty short time. But at least in the last few years he hasn’t been on the road by himself, but rather assembled an incredible team of talent to help take Niepoort to even greater heights. Luis Seabra and Nick Delaforce looking after wines and ports respectively, whilst Verena Niepoort, José Teles and Rodrigo Nogueira (now like the Niepoort family themselves, now in their 5th generation of service to this remarkable business) oversee things from Porto. Niepoort’s breath-taking new winery (at Quinta Nápoles) has given the winemaking team more scope to develop and new lodges (in addition to, rather than instead of the original one) in Gaia have improved the capacity for bottling and dispatch. The Tiara Branco is sourced from high altitude old vineyards with vines averaging 60 to 100 years old. This is principally a blend of Rabigato, Codega, Donzelinho, Viosinho and Arinto. Fermented in tank and aged on fine lees for a few months. A delicate array of citrus and stone fruits, refreshing palate with bags of flavour and length.