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Boris· @Vadym O
Niepoort & Telmo Rodríguez
Omlet
2011
4.2
Region
Portugal › Douro › Douro DOC
Type
red · still
Grapes
Tinta Roriz, Vinhão, Touriga Franca, Alicante Henri Bouschet
Alcohol
14.3%
Volume
750 mL
Tasting Notes(1)
4.2
A serious, old-vine Douro that leans on refinement rather than muscle - no jam, no bombast, just depth. Ripe blueberry and a tangle of wild black and red fruit, dried figs, with wet stone, old leather, tobacco leaf and a twist of black pepper and clove underneath, all earthy and balsamic. Medium-bodied and beautifully balanced, the old-vine concentration showing as juicy dark berries and savoury umami rather than weight, brisk acidity keeping it lively. Long and harmonious, a dry mineral finish with silky, fully integrated tannins. Lovely.
About
Omlet is a collaboration between Dirk Niepoort and the Spanish vigneron Telmo Rodríguez - Telmo making a Douro red in his own gentle, low-extraction hand on Niepoort's home ground (the name reads as 'Telmo' backwards). The fruit comes from two old vineyards up in the Covas valley, east-facing at around 500 metres on schist, with vines between sixty and eighty years old. It is a true field blend, led by Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz with Sousão, Alicante Bouschet and a handful of other local varieties.
The winemaking is all about freshness rather than power: fermented in stainless steel, with malolactic and around eighteen months of ageing in old barrels and wood vats - nothing new, nothing pushed. The result is the lighter-framed, old-school style both men favour, a Douro red with no hard edges. 2011 was one of the great modern Douro vintages, a year of purity and structure, so there is plenty here to reward patience.