The Niepoort family, originally from the Netherlands, has been creating Port Wines since 1842 and established themselves as one of the most respectable Port Houses.

Dirk Niepoort, fifth generation, runs the firm with a dedication and enthusiasm that has made him one of the most popular figures in the wine trade, and quickly became a trailblazer of table wines in Portugal with his projects focused on Terroir, elegance and the relentless pursuit of freshness. Dirk helped transform the Douro region and the way the world thinks about wine, with wines transcending the heat and displaying astounding craft and elegance.

His vision has striven to improve the company on all aspects: the vineyards were upgraded in sustainability (notably most are farmed organically, without any pesticides and herbicides) and the winery completely revamped. As for the grape crushing, Dirk is a passionate advocate of the traditional method of ‘treading’ (by foot) to extract maximum colour and flavour. These efforts resulted in magnificent examples from recent years.

Dirk Niepoort deserves the accolades he receives for his hard work, dedication and wonderful craft which propelled him to be one of the most reverred in Portugal and a world wine legend, elevating not only Port but Portugal’s dry wines.

The Rótulo was born from our commitment to producing traditional wines whose freshness and lightness make them ideal food partners for any occasion. Our dream to create Dão wines dates back to 2012. Since then we have been procuring vineyard blocks – including some very old sites – which express the unique character of the region. Its mountainous microclimate and granitic soils have been the birthplace of great wines for a very long time.

The 2020 vintage experienced a long, harsh winter with relatively high rainfall. An almost inexistent spring was followed by a mild summer with a few days of intense heat. These conditions made it quite difficult to control disease and ripeness in the grapes. Once the fruit reached our desired level of ripeness, the harvest began, spanning from 25 August to 24 September. It was a challenging year, but one that gave us wines with beautiful acidity and excellent ageing potential. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks, with a longer maceration period and very little extraction. After completing the alcoholic fermentation process, the wine was aged in cement tanks and then eventually bottled unfiltered.

Soil type – Granite

Grape – Touriga Nacional, Jaen,Tinta Pinheira and Alfrocheiro

Age – 30 to 80 years

Residual Sugar – 0.4 g/L

Alcohol – 12.2 %

A straight-forward wine which echoes the freshness and versatility of the sub-region Gouveia on the slopes of the Serra da Estrela Mountain. Its light hue presents some of the brick-red tinges typical of the grape varieties that make up this blend. The nose reveals hints of aromatic herbs, tobacco, cherries and minty nuances which lend the wine freshness and further complexity. On the palate, a beautiful acidity and some roundness translate to elegance. As this is a delicate wine with a youthful profile, it is best served chilled.

Traditional Portuguese cuisine such as stewed veal, duck rice, oven-baked cod and traditional Portuguese cured sausages.

James Suckling – 94 points

This has lovely aromas of flowers, sliced strawberries and pomegranates with a stony element. The palate is nervy, with crunchy, juicy fruit and supple tannins. Medium-bodied but not insubstantial. Open and evident, but with a discreet structure. Drink now.

Wine Advocate – 91 points

There’s purity and freshness in the red 2020 Rótulo Dão. It’s quite primary, with notes of red berries and herbs, a medium-bodied palate and some grainy tannins. It has some 60% grapes sourced from local growers. It has a moderate 12% alcohol. 100,000 bottles produced.

Where to start? I’ve known Dirk Niepoort for over 25 years, and I’ve followed his wines over the years. He doesn’t stop. He has grown his company like crazy. The still wines are on a new level since 2018 (they are always evolving, and they mention 2013 and 2021 as other years of change) with the arrival of winemaker Luis Pedro Cândido da Silva and the next generation of the Niepoort family, especially their son, Daniel, who joined the team in 2020. They not only produce wine in Douro but, nowadays, in most regions in Portugal—Dão, Alentejo, Vinho Verde, Bairrada…

The style is elegant, but they want the wines to age in bottle, so for them it’s all about balance. Some vineyards and wines have been certified organic since 2008. All of the vineyards they own are certified organic, but some of the grapes they buy are not. Daniel Niepoort, who’s a lot more focused on the vineyards now, told me organic is very important for him but that growers are also important and they want to keep the relationship with the growers and be a role model for them to show them that organic is possible, convincing them by being an example.

In 2022, they only got 202 liters of rain (a little less than in 2003!), but the vines adapted to the low water and yields were better than expected. They got some rain during harvest and some fungus. It was one of the most dramatic vintages in viticulture, and some plants died. But 2022 was great for Port. As for 2021, it was a great year for dry wines (but not great for Port), and there was enough water reserve in the soils. They consider it a perfect agricultural year with good yields; it has a mild spring and summer, so a longer cycle and perfect ripening of the grapes. It could be a little like 2018, 2008 and 2001—cooler years with higher acidity. 2020 was warm and dry, so the grapes were healthier. But it was the COVID-19 vintage, and that created some problems in the vineyards; everything was weird that year. As for 2023, even if still too early, the year was also great in Douro, for Luis Pedro the finest he’s seen there.