2004 Charme Tinto

The 2004 “Charme” is an old vines bottling (average age: 70 years) aged fifteen months in French oak. It comes in a “fat” bottle, which is appropriate for a Burgundy wannabe. Dirk Niepoort indicated to me that this wine, in a blind tasting with over 30 professionals, was identified as Burgundy by almost all of them. Considering that the principal varietals here are Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca, I found that hard to believe until I actually tasted the wine. It is simply amazing as a Burgundy imitation. Now, one might philosophically wonder why this wine, made from traditional Douro grapes and a producer who is very terroir oriented, WANTS to be a Burgundy. That philosophical musing, to which I am not particularly inclined, will have to be answered by someone who cares. I just taste the wine. I thought it was terrific, one of my favorite wines on my Portugal trip, with round texture, red berry notes, impeccable balance, and persistent flavors. It is elegant and stylishly crafted, and simply, well, charming. There were about 375 cases produced. Drink 2008-2016. Dirk Niepoort is the principal of this familiar, family-owned Port house. However, dry wines are hardly a sideshow for Niepoort, and he has become one of the region’s driving forces in establishing the table wine industry. His dry wines date back to circa 1990, which seems to be a very long time ago considering how many new wines, wineries and winemakers have emerged in the Douro in the last decade or so. It occurred to me that if the Douro has a Robert Mondavi, a relative pioneer who seems as interested in pushing the brand as himself, it is probably Dirk Niepoort. One ironic thought also occurred to me. While the winery is justly considered a quality house for reds and a driving force in the dry, red revolution, it ultimately may become most famous for another reason: Niepoort is perhaps without equal for whites. Importer: Eric Solomon, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565; Martine’s Wines, Inc.; tel: (800) 344-1801