Throughout the two weeks of Arctic temperatures which came to an end about a week ago, I was pining for a tawny port and my wish was fulfilled when St.Valentine produced this fine colheita from Niepoort even though the outside temperatures were rising. Together with a Champagne carried over from Father Christmas we were able to have a much better watered Valentine’s dinner at home than would have been possible at our nearby favourite restaurant which was fully booked.
Champagne Blanc de Blancs – Ruinart – Alc.12.5% - (c.€60) was lovely champagne for starters and also stood up well to a rich preparation of sea bass. It was delicate with fine bubbles, lightly fruity with a caressing texture and showed lively acidity tempered by an ingratiating sweetness. For my ideal with food, a tad more crispness would have been welcome but this was very nice and full of Champenois class; 16.5/20.
Porto Colheita 1984 (bottled in 2007) – Niepoort – Alc.20.5% was a real treat. It showed the usual pale tawny pink and a lovely nose of rose petals and nuts. The palate was soft on entry and gently sweet but not at all cloying and still showed a certain roundness of mature fruit enhanced by similar aromas to those from the nose. The long finish showed more firmness than common with wood aged port and balanced the soft entry. I was intrigued by David’s reference to a citrus type freshness in a 20 year old Fonseca; there was nothing like that here but I look forward to finding it in a tawny/colheita because it could make for an extra dimension. However this was already close to perfection of its kind and was dangerously moreish but we managed to spread the bottle over 4 evenings with no apparently deterioration other than some slackening of firmness on the finish; 17.5/20.