Last post, we discussed how different types of Port are aged, but we didn’t actually drink any. Today, we’re going to fix that: Niepoort, another family-owned Port house, makes a “Junior Ruby” and “Senior Tawny” which epitomize and should clear up the difference between their respective styles. We’ll begin with the Junior Ruby, which is aged in 15-16,000 liter Portuguese oak barrels (over 100 years old) for an average of 3 years. This wine is black, with a scarlet rim. Its nose is fruity, featuring cherry cola, blackberries, and unroasted Arabica coffee beans. The palate offers dark fruit notes: damson plums, wild blueberries, and chocolate-covered cherries. Full-bodied, the Junior Ruby has moderate acid and a medium finish.
Place Niepoort’s Senior Tawny and Junior Ruby side by side, and you’ll see two very different colors. Whereas the Ruby is almost opaque, its Tawny older sister is light auburn. The Senior Tawny is aged for an average of 7 years in equally old, though much smaller (550 liter) Portuguese oak barrels. Its nose is redolent of cedarwood, hazelnut syrup, and cherries jubilee, and it tastes of sassafras, cola, and dried figs. Body also full, acid also moderate, but this one lasts a bit longer on the finish. Either Port could fly solo, but for the Tawny I’d recommend a sweet cigar, a smoky cheese, or an almond pastry; for the Ruby, chocolate-covered strawberries, a creamy cheese, or a forest berry pie.
Try them both, choose your favorite, and check out Niepoort online at http://www.niepoort-vinhos.com/en/
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