Niepoort Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Port 2019 375ml
Late Bottled Vintage Port is a from a single year, aged for 4-6 years in old oak casks (opposed to Vintage that ages 2-3).
LBV fills the gap between the rubies and the vintage ports since a Ruby Port should be drunk quite young and a great Vintage Port may need 15 to 20 years to really open up and show its splendour. Unfiltered, with very good concentration and tons of spice. Will develop beautifully over several years.
The 2019 Late Bottled Vintage Port is unfiltered and closed with a cork, the serious style of this category, from a very good year in the style of 2005 or 2015 that can age for decades. It has 100 grams of sugar and is velvety and really a mini Vintage Port, aged for a bit longer in cask (but short for the category) and bottled in its fourth year. It's still tannic and a bit closed, with the tannin is cushioning the sweetness. It could be drunk now but should be a lot more complex with time in bottle. It has balance with a big structure, able to age for a long time. 2019 was a very complete year for Port. They produced 100,000 bottles of this. It was bottled in 2023. Drink 2026-2040. 93 Points. Luis Guttierez, The Wine Advocate.