Coche Branco 2020

The Coche is Niepoort’s most coveted wine – the one whose profile most resembles that of a great Burgundy. With this wine, we aim to strike a balance between fruitiness and a complexity stemming from an ageing period in first-fill, lightly toasted French oak barrels from the François Frères cooperage. On the nose, this barrel-ageing period comes through as toasted notes of hazelnuts and brioche which blend in beautifully with the fruity orchard aromas of yellow plums, peaches, apricots, citrus as well as aromatic herbs. The palate presents a similar structure as a great Burgundy, offering elegance, moderate alcohol and impressive aromatic complexity. The finish is expressive and long, supported by a sublime acidity promising a long cellaring potential.

The 2020 growing year was very heterogeneous. A rainy winter was followed by a quite moderate spring, providing favourable conditions for the vines’ growth. On the other hand, the month of June was relatively cool and slowed down the growth cycle. July brought very high temperatures (the hottest since 1931), with three heat waves which reduced the yields somewhat.

Harvesting began in the first weeks of August in the hottest areas and concluded in the higher-lying slopes at the end of September.

After careful sorting in the vineyards, the grapes were transported to the cellar in 25kg boxes in a temperature-controlled truck. During the night, the grapes were pressed gently and the must was left to settle for approximately 48 hours. Alcoholic fermentation took place in French oak barrels of 228L and 550L, of which 50% were new oak.

Over the 12 months that the wine spent maturing in barrels, the Coche also went through partial malolactic fermentation.