Niepoort Vintage Port 2015 Bottle size: 375ml

'The 2015 Vintage Port is a field blend from old vines (80 to 100 years old). It comes in with 104 grams per liter of residual sugar. This is another gorgeous Vintage Port from Niepoort this issue, elegant, but very powerful and focused. I may have a minor preference for the Bioma this issue, but reasonable minds might differ and this is very fine. The tightly wound precision and serious backbone make this a 2015 with plenty of room to grow in the cellar, but that's not all. It has fine intensity of flavor and freshness to go with the big tannins here, making this a very serious Port on all fronts. It is impressive overall. It was a tank sample when seen, but it was the final blend and due to be bottled in two weeks when tasted. It should be in the marketplace by the time this article appears. 2030-2070.' – Mark Squires, Wine Advocate, 94-96/100

‘This shows the elegance of the vintage. Not many port shippers are declaring but this exhibits length and firmness with structure. Medium to full body, light sweetness and lots of blackberry, blueberry and raspberry character. Very pretty length and firmness. Should be outstanding. Try in 2025.’ – James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, 95/100

'A lively, energetic Port, with lots of brambly grip and warm fruitcake notes carrying the core of steeped plum, raspberry and blackberry flavors. Licorice snap, apple wood, violet and mint accents add range through the finish. There's lots to like in this bright, slightly high-pitched style. 2030-2050.' – James Molesworth, Wine Spectator, 93/100

'This is a very perfumed wine, fragrant with violets and with dry tannins. It has a juicy character along with acidity. The wine has a dry style, very firm and dense. It will age well, ready to drink from 2026.' – Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, 92/100

'Cask sample. Inky crimson, totally opaque. Fabulous wild, dark-fruited intensity. Elderberry and black plums, deep, long and chewy. A savoury character like roasted potato skins. Stunning complexity already. Deep and long and a great combination of sweet and savoury.' – Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 18/20

'In a great year like 2015, the big challenge was selecting the final blend from more than 60 000 litres of very good quality wines, all of them worthy of great Vintage Port status. For more than a year, Dirk Niepoort, Nicholas Delaforce and Rodrigo Nogueira examined the wines carefully and meticulously selected the best vats. In April 2017 near perfection was achieved when a blend of 20 000 litres was finalised. We have a great Vintage on our hands, showing beautiful concentration, vigour and complexity, but with plenty of finesse and remarkable freshness. Compared to the 2011 vintage, despite the tannins also being very robust, the 2015 gives us a silky wine, with great structure and incredible balance thanks to its taut acidity and lower level of sweetness, which results in a fresher wine.' – Niepoort