2005 Redoma Tinto

Mixed planting including mainly Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Amarela and Tinto Cão. 18 months in French oak. Dirk Niepoort’s aim here is to create a wine that is ‘extreme and with a rigorous character’, like the Douro itself. Spicy but also slightly perfumed by violets. Rocky but ripe dense, carpet-like tannins. Finishes fresh. (JH)

The 2005 REDOMA has all the charm one normally finds in the Charme. Dirk Niepoort, always iconoclastic, is unhappy that this wine shows so refined in this vintage as he likes it a little more on the wild and rustic side. He’s somewhat right, although not necessarily because the wine is too refined. It is also relatively light, but seductively textured, with nice fruit flavor on the finish. The structure seems relatively modest, and while the wine is quite charming and sunny, it seems a step back from the 2004, far too elegant for its own good. It seemed simple and routine on Day 2. Drink now-2015. Niepoort is one of the Douro’s iconic estates. In most vintages, Niepoort produces rather elegant wines, with a nod to Burgundy. In 2005, a vintage that produced lighter red wines in the first place, Niepoort’s lineup is very understated. The VERTENTE line’s first release was 2000. It is a more modestly priced entrant in Niepoort’s lineup compared to the well known trophies like Batuta and Charme. Importer: Martine’s Wines, Inc., Novato, CA.; tel: (415) 883-0400; except in New York/New Jersey: Eric Solomon, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565.