Niepoort Douro Redoma Branco Reserva White Blend 2008
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Wine &
Spirits -
Robert
Parker
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The vineyards for the Redoma White are all planted between 400 and 800 meters altitude, this provides the necessary cooler growing conditions (particularly at night) and longer ripening periods. Coming from very old vineyards with more than 80 years old, redoma reserve always have more complexity and depth, small portion granite soils contribute for special mineral flavors and enhances the freshness of the wine.
Extremely fresh and elegant, very mineral with great complexity, with citric aromas and apricots and white peaches notes, elegant and subtle smoke character. The palate has crisp acidity and great intensity with full texture, with a raft of white fruit flavors and mineral overtones, very persistent with very good ageing potential.
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Wine & Spirits
A selection from vines with at least 80 years of age, this grows at high altitudes and includes some vineyards on granite soils, which help sustain freshness in the grapes. It expresses its barrel fermentation and aging in complex spice and toasted lees character, the tangy fruit driving through it with flavors of apple and more exotic notes of guava and green tropical fruit. There’s also a hint of narcissus, all presented with remarkable delicacy for a Douro white. This will benefit from five years in bottle, needing the time to develop its full expression.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 REDOMA RESERVA Branco is from high altitude vineyards (400 to 800 meters) and old vines (80 years old) aged in cask and on the lees for 9 months, without maloactic fermentation. It is a typical Douro white blend of grapes like Rabigato, Codega, Donzelinho, Viosinho and Arinto that comes in at just under 13% alcohol. This looks to be a very fine performance. It adds a layer –or two—of depth to the regular Redoma, and the acidity is quite prominent early on. As with the regular Redoma, I might have preferred a little less oak, but this has the depth to absorb it and as it aired out and warmed up, I noticed the oak less and less. It is mouth gripping, mouthwatering, deep and flavorful and I liked it more and more for its persistence, brightness and elegance. If the ’05 bottling was not Niepoort's best white, this may well be, which in turn makes it one of the Douro’s best brancos. There were 600 cases produced, of which only 25 were imported. Experience has shown that these tend to show best on the younger side, but this should hold a reasonable time, and better than most. Drink now-2013.
When the Niepoort family moved from Holland to the Douro region of Portugal in 1842, one of the great Port houses of Oporto began. And in 1987, as the fifth generation to make fortified wines for the family business, Dirk Niepoort started following a brand-new path. Considered a true Renaissance man, Dirk continues to make Port using the same traditional methods as his ancestors while also leading the way as one of Portugal’s most innovative, creative, and exciting producers of dry table wine.
Towards the end of the 1980s, Dirk convinced his father to let him purchase Quinta de Nápoles, one of the oldest wineries in the region, and Quinta do Carril with their 60-year-old vineyards. He also began a lifelong quest to purchase old-vine vineyards with the express purpose of making unfortified wines – a move that was considered practically revolutionary at the time. In 1991 he released his first Douro dry wine, Redoma Tinto. This innovation has paid off in spades, as the Douro is now widely recognized both for its table wines and its Ports. Today, the Niepoort family owns 80 hectares of vines in the Douro, farmed organically, and incorporates biodynamic principles. Since 2012, they have expanded even further, purchasing incomparable, old vineyards in Bairrada, Dao, Vinho Verde, and most recently, Alentejo. Another vital aspect of Dirk’s respect for tradition is the family relationship with the Nogueira family. Working with the Niepoorts for five generations, the family has been the master blenders of their Port wines since the estate was founded. It is an essential distinguishing element in the continued healthy respect of family and tradition that differentiates Niepoort in an evolving region.
Dirk’s winemaking philosophy embodies his love of cuisine and wine. The wines are lower in alcohol, lighter, fresher, and balanced, which results in a more drinkable-styled wine with minimal new oak influence. Dirk has put both the family estate and the entire region on the map for wine. A member of the Douro Boys, he has been instrumental in bringing attention and sharing knowledge of this incredible and diverse region of old vines and unique terroir. He is a pioneer of modern approaches — creating artistic labels and new marketing and selling practices — and a healthy respect for traditional, classic winemaking methods. Now the estate is making room for the sixth generation, with son Daniel joining the family business in 2020. Two generations are working side by side to learn from the other as it has been since the beginning. Though Niepoort is rich in history and tradition, in some ways, you could say its future has just begun.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.