Moscatel do Douro

Distinction :

96/100 R. Parker - Wine Advocate :
A new exceptional fortified Moscatel, the NV Moscatel Douro Fortificado 20 Anos is one of the few wines in this category in the market, 20 years old, a category that defines a style and more or less the average age of the blend of wines matured in old pipa oak barrels. Dirk Niepoort has always been a fan of the Moscatel grape despite it being widely despised. In the old times, it was an allowed grape for the production of Port wine, and I've had some glorious very old bottles of Moscatel Port, a category that doesn't exist anymore. This wine goes a little in that direction, in search of the complexity of the long aging that domesticates the wild aromas of the variety and gives it nuance and density. It has a golden color and a pungent and complex nose with nutty aromas and floral tones. It's round, glossy and quite sweet. It's fortified to 20% alcohol and remains with 190 grams of sugar but keeps the balance with a low pH (3.26) and good acidity (six grams). This will be virtually indestructible and should drink well for a very long time. Unfortunately, the lot I tasted only amounted to 300 bottles. It was bottled in 2023, but I didn't see any mention of the bottling date on the label.