TN: 1991 Niepoort Vintage Port

[Al B.]

Decant: 32 hours - I came back to what was left of this wine after our guests had left - 32 hours after decanting. I've come to the conclusion that this bottle was probably very slightly flawed, maybe corked. The nose has improved but the medicinal note is still there, only fainter. After so much time in the decanter the main smell is of the heat of the alcohol, but there is a nice strawberry syrup flavour to it. In the mouth the initial taste is of sweet summer fruit pudding. This does develop through the mid-palate, but not as much as I feel it could. The finish has improved massively. Lovely wave of fruit followed by strong, long dominating flavours of dark bitter chocolate. This is much better than when I first tasted it. I would suggest that this has plently of life ahead of it yet and you should not be in a rush to drink....but worth opening a bottle if you have a full case. My feeling is that this needs a long decant at the moment, say 10 hours, to show at its best. Personally, I prefer this wine now than when I wrote my initial note and I also think its better now than when we drank it after our meal 24 hours ago. 89 points