Niepoort Garrafeira Port 1952, bottled in 1955, decanted in 1974

Niepoort Garrafeira Port 1952 – Bottled in 1955, decanted in 1974: a ritualistic masterpiece from the Douro

The Niepoort Garrafeira Port 1952, bottled in 1955 and decanted into bottles in 1974, is an exceptional wine from one of Portugal’s most distinguished port wine dynasties. The Niepoort estate was founded in 1842 by Franciscus Marius van der Niepoort in Vila Nova de Gaia and is now run by Dirk Niepoort, the fifth generation of the family. The house’s wines enjoy a legendary reputation amongst connoisseurs, and the Garrafeira style is regarded as the pinnacle of the art of port-making.

What makes this port so unique is the Garrafeira style, which the Niepoort family has perfected. At the end of the 19th century, the second generation of the family purchased around 4,000 demijohns from a German glassworks in Oldenburg – dark green glass demijohns shaped like old apothecary bottles, with a capacity of eight to eleven litres. Eduard Marius van der Niepoort, the grandfather of the current winemaker, began maturing the best wines of the vintage in these glass demijohns in 1931, thereby establishing the ‘Garrafeira Niepoort’ style. Niepoort is now the sole producer of this style of port, and only ten vintages have ever been produced: 1931, 1933, 1938, 1940, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1964, 1967 and 1977.

The 1952 vintage was characterised by a dry, warm summer in the Douro Valley. The harvest proved to be healthy and concentrated. Winemaking followed the house’s traditions: the grapes were fermented in granite lagares, followed by the early addition of wine distillate. After initial ageing in wooden casks, the wine was decanted into demijohns in 1955, where it matured for 19 years before being bottled in 1974. There are several bottlings of this vintage – in addition to the 1974 decant, variants from 1984 and 1987 are also documented.

The tasting notes paint a picture of a wine of rare perfection. For The Love Of Port describes it as rich and complex, with notes of cherry, charcoal, toasted aromas and spices, fantastic on the palate, very elegant, delicate and with a long finish – “simply delicious”. ThePortForum noted a faded tawny colour, slightly cloudy, with tobacco and vanilla on the nose, good balance on the palate, a hint of citrus and coffee on the finish, and a touch of mint – rated 89 points. Another tasting note describes a light caramel colour with hints of butterscotch and apricot, smooth on the palate with well-integrated, light oak. Tastingbook awards 93 points and describes a completely transparent, medium-orange colour with a broad, watery rim, minimal oxidative notes of orange and white pepper, and a complex, herbaceous palate with chocolate, orange, tobacco and white pepper, and a long, complex finish – “perhaps the most Burgundian of all Garrafeira wines”.

Today, the Niepoort Garrafeira 1952 is a sought-after rarity that regularly fetches between 400 and 600 euros at auctions. For lovers of great port wines, it offers a rare opportunity to experience a wine that bears the hallmark of one of Portugal’s most distinguished winemaking families and has retained remarkable vitality and elegance after more than seven decades of ageing.