Tasting Notes:
Brilliant red appearance with some brick red hues on the rim with a refined aroma of cherries along with a fine perfumed floral character and superb finesse. Essentially the wine is elegant in style, but the palate is somewhat of an enigma -initially the fruit and elegance on the aroma comes through on the palate but with low extract but superbly balanced and fresh, but the finish is somewhat robust, firm and with a dry tannic finish, it will be interesting to see this wine age, no doubt, in an elegant manner.
Vinification:
2012 was marked by the lack of rain in the Douro region. As a result, the growing cycle of the vine began, on average, 15 days later than in previous years. On the other hand, winter 2012 also saw very low temperatures, which resulted in a good and well balanced growth of the vegetation. The maturation period was not as hot as usual, creating a good balance in the total acidity of the grape musts. All grapes for the LBV 2012 were sourced from old vineyards in the Cima Corgo region of the Douro valley.
Harvest occurred during the month of September and after careful selection on the sorting table, the crushed grapes and stems were directly channeled to granite "lagares" and foot trodden prior to fortification. Following some cool winter months in the Douro, the wines were transported in early 2013 to the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia and aged in large wooden vats and bottled in the fourth year - a tradition at Niepoort to retain freshness in the wines.
Food Suggestions:
Late bottled vintage is the perfect port to accompany chocolate desserts, especially if dark/bitter chocolate is used! Fantastic also with Portuguese "Queijo da Serra", Stilton and mature Parmesan where the saltiness of the aged Parmesan provides the perfect balance for the sweet fruit of the LBV. However the combination that beats them all has to be that of Rolf Niepoort - LBV and a pepper steak!!