Niepoort Charme Douro DOC 2020
Niepoort
Dirk Niepoort has spent decades proving the Douro can produce world-class table wine, not just port. Charme is his flagship argument — a blend of old-vine indigenous grapes that captures the Douro's schist-and-altitude terroir with precision. This 2020 is taut, layered, and built for years of evolution.
Kit Aromas
Nose
Dark cherry and violet lead, with crushed slate minerality and a subtle herbal quality. Beneath the fruit sits a thread of cedar and graphite, with a faint floral lift that adds elegance.
Palate
Medium to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Blackcurrant and cherry are interwoven with cedar and a stony mineral quality that speaks directly to the Douro's schist terraces. There's a savory undertone — almost gamey — that adds complexity without heaviness.
Finish
Long and structured, with cherry, cedar, and a violet-scented minerality that lingers beautifully.
- Varietal
- Touriga Nacional
- Blend
- Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, field blend old vines
- Vineyards
- Old-vine terraced vineyards in Cima Corgo and Douro Superior on schist soils
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
The rich, slow-cooked beef mirrors the wine's depth and tannin structure, while the olive tapenade's savory brininess plays against the Douro's mineral backbone. Serve with roasted root vegetables.
Crafted by fifth-generation winemaker Dirk Niepoort from old-vine Touriga Nacional and field blends grown on steep schist terraces in the Cima Corgo and Douro Superior sub-regions of northern Portugal.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Domaine de l'Hortus Grande Cuvée Pic Saint-Loup 2020
Domaine de l'Hortus
Domaine de l'Hortus Grande Cuvée is a masterful expression of Pic Saint-Loup — a region where the altitude and dramatic temperature swings between day and night produce wines of remarkable freshness despite the Mediterranean heat. This is serious Languedoc red at a fraction of Rhône Valley prices.
Domaine de la Côte Pinot Noir Estates 2021
Domaine de la Côte
Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman's estate-wide blend offers a window into their meticulous Sta. Rita Hills farming without the single-vineyard price tag. It drinks like Burgundy in its restraint and transparency, proving that California Pinot Noir can whisper rather than shout.
Domaine de la Bouïssière Gigondas Les Olivets 2021
Domaine de la Bouïssière
The Faravel family farms old-vine Grenache and Mourvèdre on Gigondas's rocky Dentelles de Montmirail slopes, where low yields and extreme diurnal temperature swings build concentration naturally. Les Olivets is their flagship — a wine of real substance that never sacrifices drinkability for power. Give it thirty minutes in a decanter and it opens beautifully.
Pietradolce Etna Rosso DOC 2021
Pietradolce
Pietradolce farms some of the highest vineyards on Etna's north slope, and this entry-level Rosso punches well above its price. Nerello Mascalese shows its best here — transparent, mineral-driven, alive with tension. It's a red wine that feels like it was drawn from the rock itself.