Niepoort Vintage Port 1977 bottled 1979

Niepoort Vintage Port 1977 – Bottled in 1979: A classic from a legendary vintage

The Niepoort Vintage Port 1977, bottled in 1979, comes from one of Portugal’s most prestigious port wine dynasties. The house’s history dates back to 1842, when Franciscus Marius van der Niepoort came to Portugal from Hilversum and founded a port wine trading house in Vila Nova de Gaia. Since then, the company has remained family-owned and is now run by the fifth generation, Dirk and Verena Niepoort. Dirk Niepoort has significantly strengthened the house’s reputation as a producer of vintage port, focusing on organic farming and the traditional method of treading the grapes by foot.

The 1977 vintage is regarded as a classic vintage, declared as such by all the major port houses. The wines are characterised by good structure, balanced tannins and great elegance, with considerable ageing potential. The wine was bottled in 1979 after around two years’ ageing in wooden casks – a common practice for Vintage Port, which gives the wine its initial structure before it begins its decades-long ageing in the bottle.

The tasting notes paint a picture of a wine at an advanced stage of maturity. Wine Spectator awarded the 1977 Niepoort 94 points and described it as having a youthful ruby colour with a delicate garnet rim, aromas of fresh fruit cake with a hint of vanilla custard and cappuccino, full-bodied with plenty of sweet fruit, raspberry jam and vanilla, with a long, caressing finish. Jancis Robinson awarded 17.5/20 points and noted floral aromas and brown sugar on the palate; it is very mellow and “rather glorious”, long and rich, with just a tiny hint of alcohol on the finish.

CellarTracker tasters describe the wine as elegant and feminine, ‘as elegant as velvet, weightless but not thin’, with a pleasant hint of spirit that is not harsh. Other notes highlight hints of cinnamon, clove, potpourri, dried fruit and sweet red berries, with a clean finish of sweet fruit and tawny caramel. Another taster awarded 96 points and described a medium-deep garnet colour with bright ruby highlights, a fresh yet complex nose, and a structure that is largely integrated but captivates with the purity and vibrancy of sweet berries and plums. The community rating on CellarTracker stands at 92.9 points based on 18 tasting notes.

The 1977 Niepoort is currently in an excellent drinking window. The optimal drinking window is given as 2007 to 2030. The wine should be decanted generously before serving – some tasters recommend twelve hours – to allow its full range of aromas to unfold. For lovers of great port wines, this vintage 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 four decades of bottle ageing.