Niepoort LBV Late Bottled Vintage 2020

Winemaking. The growing season year in the Douro and the 2020 harvest at Niepoort will certainly be remembered for the extreme challenges experienced throughout the year, resulting in very low yields in the vineyards. Although the first winter months of November and December 2019 brought some very welcome rains to replenish depleted water levels, in addition to some precipitation in mid-January, the months of January and February were atypically dry and hot. The rains in March and April gave rise to early attacks of mildew and later powdery mildew, which continued until veraison. Overall, the year was considered hot and dry. At the Vale de Mendiz winery, the harvest began on August 31 under favourable conditions and the last grapes were received on September 24. The grapes for LBV 2020 stem from low-production vineyards in the Cima Corgo region of the Douro Valley. They were trodden by foot in granite lagares and the wine was aged in large oak barrels and the traditional pipas in the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia. Niepoort's LBV is bottled in its fourth year, maintaining their tradition of giving maximum priority to freshness in its wines.