2021 Niepoort Napoles Bastardo, Douro, Portugal La Spinona He does not punch down

He does not punch down the reds or use batonnage for the whites and he rarely racks the wines

Hand-harvested grapes are direct-pressed into a 3000-liter conical oak vat

Think passing a honeysuckle bush on a long springtime walk

after which point it is racked and aged six months in cement and given an additional year of rest in bottle before release

2021 Niepoort Napoles Bastardo, Douro, Portugal La Spinona He does not punch downBastardo is a grape variety which can be found in the old vineyards of the Douro Valley. Known as Trousseau in the French Jura region, it is a variety which has a short growth cycle, ripens early, and is normally used for increasing sugar levels in the musts produced from grapes growing in colder areas. The idea behind this Bastardo was to try to tame the rustic character of the variety and to tease out its elegant and fresh side. Niepoort