The score for 2004 Niepoort Batuta Douro is 95 from Robert Parker and the tasting note - The 2004 “Batuta” (Batuta means “conductor’s baton” in Portuguese) is aged for 20 months in French oak, and sourced from very old vines. The principal source of grapes is Quinta do Carril, a 70-year-old vineyard. In addition, grapes are sourced from older vines exceeding one hundred years in age. The first vintage of this bottling was 1999. Concentrated, intense, focused, impeccably balanced and beautifully structured, this beauty delivers on all fronts. To my mind, it is a much more complete, complex and successful wine than its Redoma sibling. The sweet mid-palate is obviously young and primary. The tannins are ripe, but clearly provide support for aging, and obvious intensity. The mid-palate remains elegant, but the sweet fruit shines through. This is elegant in the best sense of the word. I think this wine will be approachable fairly young, but its exceptional performance the next day suggests that it has the ability to age gracefully, too. In fact, it really did not show its stuff until Day #2. I think this is potentially one of the most complex wines I tasted in Portugal, and I hope its evolution in the cellar proves that conclusion to be true.