One of the oldest port houses, Quinta do Noval is also arguably the greatest.

It is unique among top port houses in that most of the ports are made from estate-grown fruit and, notably, all of the vintage Noval wines are from the single Quinta do Noval vineyard.

In addition, it is difficult to elaborate on Quinta do Noval without mentioning Nacional, the legendary port made from a 6 acre parcel of ungrafted vines.

There is one part of Quinta do Noval that outshines all others: a small, single vineyard called Nacional, a tiny parcel planted, in the words of Quinta do Noval, “with ungrafted vines and untouched by phylloxera.”

The parcel was named ‘Nacional’ because “the vines are Portuguese vines growing in Portuguese soil with no foreign root stock, and therefore attached to the soil of the nation – the pride of the people of Portugal.”

Naturally, the quantities released are miniscule:

From the 2020 vintage, just 160 12-bottle cases were made, of which only 80 have been released so far.

When declared, The Nacional instantly become the most sought after port in the world.

Many vintages of Nacional are considered as the finest ports, and some of the finest wines, ever made.

Noval is mentioned in land registries going back to 1715, and has been sold just twice in that time, once in the late 19th century, and to its present owners in 1993.

Noval has, however, a reputation for being an innovative, independent producer.

Noval’s focus on its vineyard and estate ports distinguishes it, but there are numerous other areas in which it has been a pioneer:

Quinta do Noval was the first to introduce blended tawnies with an indication of average age.

Noval introduced the first late-bottled vintage port, in 1958.

In response to a change in shipping laws in 1986, Noval became the first major port house to age, blend and store all its wines at its Quinta, in the Douro.

In 1994 Noval once again made a bold statement, by beginning a massive program of improvements, while re-committing to the traditional, and best, methods of port production.

Namely

60% of the estate’s vineyards were taken out, and the terraces were rebuilt and replanted with the best quality grape varieties.

A new winery, warehouse and bottling facility were built, and the lodge (warehouse) at the Quinta was greatly improved.

All grapes harvested at the estate are crushed by foot, in lagares that have been made smaller and modified to better control individual lots.

The astonishing terraced vineyards of Noval, perched above the Douro and Pinhao rivers, are an infertile schist, and not soil as much as sheer rock.

The elevation of the vineyards goes from just above river level to 1,200 feet, with density at about 2,000 vines per acre, and vines producing on average 30-35 hectoliters per hectare.

The tremendous rewards of the work done at the estate over the last fifteen years are visible across the range of Noval ports, and have placed Noval a step ahead of everyone in the Douro.

This is a deep-colored lively, peppery wine full of fresh fruit flavors it is bottled after three years in cask.

An ideal Port for informal drinking.

Bright Ruby color.

Intense youthful nose with a distinctive fruity character reminiscent of wild cherries.

On the palate is well balance, with intense fruit and good length.

Drink it slightly chilled as an aperitif or at room temperature with a dessert.

This wine is a blend of superior quality wines aged for five to six years to give the wine a smooth, nutty creamy character.

The ageing and blending add elegance and finesse.

Red amber tawny color.

Good complex nose of young Tawny character.

It is rich, rounded and well-structured on the palate with elegance and lasting finish.

Almost from when it was first introduced In 2010, Noval BLACK Reserve has helped generate interest in the use of port in cocktails, hearkening to the history of port’s use on the back bar a century ago, and with its complexity and balance adding a dynamic new element in today’s cocktail utopia.

Noval BLACK Reserve was created to celebrate a decade after the near total rehabilitation of the historic Noval vineyard, arguably the Douro Valley’s greatest. 

The major replantings emphasizing only the best traditional grape varieties, the move of the cellar to the vineyard rather than Vila Nova de Gaia several hours away for total control, and several other factors meant that the fruit being grown at Noval had reached a historic high.

Noval BLACK Reserve is a clear expression of the Noval style, no ageing and no decanting necessary.

No complications, just a great glass of Port.

The style of Noval BLACK Reserve is entirely about emphasizing the quality of this fruit, through use of estate fruit, gentle handling (including foot treading), and vinification aiming for transparency. 

You could say it is the most wine-like of ruby reserve ports, and that is the secret to its flexibility, in cocktails, chilled, and even on ice.

Noval BLACK Reserve is a revolutionary style of ruby port.

The bright aromatics, incredible freshness and perfect balance bring it outside the stodgy “vintage-character” category.

Enjoy it any time: Chilled.

Before dinner. After.

For a seductive edge to cocktails.

As an indulgence with chocolate.

The custom-designed bottle is distinctive, modern yet timeless, reflecting the uniqueness of Noval BLACK Reserve.

QUINTA DO NOVAL BLACK RESERVE PORT

The 10 Year Old Tawny port shows outstanding intensity of color, complexity, concentration, and depth of flavor.

Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca predominate among the traditional grape varieties.

50% of the grapes come from the estate (a large part of these now coming from the replantings at Noval in the mid nineties) and 50% from traditional suppliers of "A" category grapes.

100% of grapes are trodden by foot in lagares, a traditional, costly and rare approach, and the wine is aged in oak barrels of 640 liters until bottled.

A favorite of restaurateurs because it remains fresh for weeks after opening, the Noval Tawny Port has beautiful complexity with vibrant young fruit that blends with the attractive and characteristic dry fruit and nut aromas.

It is rich and smooth on the palate, with an elegant structure and long finish.

QUINTA DO NOVAL 10 YEAR OLD TAWNY PORT

Noval 20 year old Tawny is a blend of old Ports from different vintages that have matured in oak casks, with an average age of 20 years.

Irresistible freshness with all the complexity of age.

Harmonious and balanced, fine, elegant and long, with all the aromatic complexity typical of Noval Tawny Ports.

A few important points to make up front that set Noval apart: the wine is 100% estate, and 100% trodden by foot.

There are other critical points to making the Noval 20 Year Old so exceptional, but the fact the fruit is of the highest possible quality and handled so gently is at the very core.

The wine displays classic Tawny color, with golden highlights, and an ethereal bouquet, typical of Noval Tawny ports.

Elegant, velvety and concentrated on the palate, it has an attractive, complex, and lingering finish.



After the 10 Year Old, it shows increasing characteristics of nuts, dried fruits and spices, as well as increasing complexity.

Fine and elegant, a journey through time.

The old Tawny Port for the lover of old Tawny Ports.

Whereas our great 10, 20 and 40 year-old tawnies are blends, designed to maintain a consistent house style, a Colheita takes its personality from the year in which it was made.

Each Colheita is distinctive yet at the same time strongly marked by the Quinta do Noval terroir.

These are very rare Ports and some of the greatest of all Douro wines, produced in tiny quantities and undeservedly unrecognised.

Quinta do Noval is one of the few Houses of Port renowned for both its Vintage and Colheita Ports.

In exceptional years, certain lots of wine with great ageing potential are set aside to spend their lives maturing in casks.

At a given stage, we decide to bottle a part of a vintage.

The rest is kept in casks where the wine will mature into new expression at a later stage.

Thus, one and the same Colheita vintage can be put onto the market on 3 or 4 occasions: after 15 years, 30 years or 40 years of maturing, and in some cases even longer.

A very important distinctive feature of our old tawnies.

Decanting is not necessary because this filtered port has no sediment.

BEFORE OPENING

It is ready to drink as soon as it is bottled and will not mature further.

AFTER OPENING

It can be enjoyed for about 3 months, keeping the bottle in a cool place.

This wine is ideal for serving by the glass.

Quinta do Noval Vintage Port is characterized by its purity of fruit and a fine and delicate quality that is typical of the wines of the property in general but which finds its most remarkable and enduring expression in the Vintage Ports.

Equilibrium, harmony, finesse and elegance characterize our great Vintage Ports, which are declared only in great years and only when the wines come up to Noval’s exacting standards.

Even then, the wines selected for the Quinta do Noval Vintage Port blend represent only a small proportion of our total production.

The 2020 Vintage Port from Noval, which was picked from 1 to 22 September, has a residual sugar of 115g/l.

It is forward and lively on the nose with macerated black cherries, cassis, raisin and pressed iris flower.

Fine delineation and focus.

The palate is medium-bodied with an attractive peppery entry.

Lively, good depth and density, this is very focused with impressive structure behind it.

Yet there is no heaviness and there is just the right amount of salinity to keep it on its toes on the finish.

Exquisite.

A very wet winter was followed by an extraordinarily hot summer, leading to a general declaration.

This is still very deep and youthful in colour, wonderfully extrovert and opulent on the nose, showing mint and classic floral aromas.

It's sweet, suave and fleshy on the palate, with voluptuous plum and berry fruit and lovely definition.

The flesh masks the tannins, which rise in the mouth leading to a rich and powerful finish.

Lovely now but better still in five years.

The 2000 Quinta Do Noval Vintage is much stricter on the nose compared to the 1997 with very pure blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry fruit mixed with cigar box and flinty scents.

It does not quite have the presence of the 1997 but it has focus and breeding and, wow, leave it aside for several minutes and it repays you with intoxicating candied orange peel scents.

The palate is medium-bodied, rounded and sensual on the entry with mint, orange peel, fig skin and white pepper.

This is a sensational millennial Noval with the temerity to surpass the Nacional.

Drink 2015-2040. 

The word “Nacional” refers to the fact that the vines are Portuguese vines growing in Portuguese soil with no foreign root stock and are therefore “attached to the soil of the Nation.” 

When Noval’s vineyards were devastated by phylloxera in the late 19th century, the owner decided to replant a tiny parcel of the vineyard with ungrafted vines.

These 6 acres of Nacional vines lie in an area indistinguishable from and surrounded by the other Noval vines.

Studied thoroughly by agronomists and scientists, the survival of the tiny parcel of legendary ungrafted vines is a mystery and the National is a unique and extraordinary phenomenon that does not necessarily follow the same rhythm as the rest of the Quinta do Noval.

In some years a great Nacional is produced when Noval does not even declare the Quinta do Noval Vintage.

In others, Quinta do Noval makes a great Vintage Port but the Nacional does not perform.

Tasting a bottle from the minute production of Nacional is every port lover’s fantasy and Nacional is every port lover’s fantasy and this great wine is a source of pride to the people of Portugal and at its best the finest expression of the extraordinary terroir of Quinta do Noval.

Up close, it becomes apparent that the Nacional vines are slightly less vigorous, with smaller trunks and less foliage, and with leaves that are slightly less vibrant green.

The berries are smaller, giving a higher ratio of skin to juice.

The grapes are picked in one day and trodden in only the smallest lagares but otherwise are treated with the same meticulous care as the other Quinta do Noval wines.

“This wine is a mysterious phenomenon, a magical wine produced in extremely limited quantities and only in a few years each decade.

It is the expression of a terroir and confirms something that is for me a deeply held belief.

The Nacional is great because of the grapes and where they come from, not because of anything particular that we do.

It has a unique personality, an extraordinary intensity and, even after many years of ageing, retains an astonishing youthfulness.”

Christian Seely

***

It has a magnificent, exquisitely defined bouquet with a purity that bowls you over, perhaps even more intense than the 2019 Nacional tasted alongside.

The palate is extraordinarily pure and intense, slightly vicious in texture, with layers of cassis, black cherries, blood orange and a dab of spice.

Seamless on the finish.

This is a worth follow up to the stellar 2019 Nacional.

The two will fight between themselves for supremacy.

QUINTA DO NOVAL NACIONAL 2020 VINTAGE PORT

The 2011 Quinta do Noval Nacional has an entrancing bouquet that unfolds with time.

It is extraordinarily concentrated with black currant pastilles, baked earth, a touch of terracotta and bay leaf that gains more dimension with time.

Yet there is undeniable purity and elegance here, a seductive chorus of aromas perfectly in tune.

The palate has a wondrous symmetry and focus, perfect acidity and immense purity.

Everything here is so precise and at the same time, unassuming, as if this Nacional is aware of its breeding without the impulse to brag about it.

It has closed down just a little since last year, but I take this as a positive sign that this legendary Nacional will delight for decades rather than years.

This is the kind of elixir that leaves you speechless – surely the finest Nacional since the ethereal 1963.

Drink 2020-2060.

WINE ADVOCATE

***

This is an amazing young Port: deep and powerful, subtle and refined.

Full body, lightly sweet with big chewy tannins that are polished and sexy.

Amazingly well-crafted.

Lasts for minutes on the finish.

Fantastic.

The legend lives.

Could be better than the perfect 1994 and equal to the 1963.

220 cases produced of this foot-trodden wine from ungrafted vines.

Try in 2024.

JAMES SUCKLING

***

#1 Top 100 Cellar Selection of 2013*

A powerful and ripe wine, strongly influenced by its tannins, super ripe black fruit and great structure.

It has all the hallmarks of a longlived vintage Port—very rich, while densely textured and firm.

This is an amazing, impressive, concentrated wine, with huge potential.

From a parcel of ungrafted vines at Noval.

WINE ENTHUSIAST

***

The voice of the earth, amplified.

This is the fruit of a mixed planting on terraces near the house at Noval, a Portuguese response to the challenge of phylloxera.

Determined to plant his indigenous local vines on their own, nacional roots, instead of foreign rootstocks, Luís de Vasconcelos Porto fumigated the soils on these terraces with a series of sulfur treatments.

The vines he planted in the 1920s, including a significant portion of sousão, are still producing to this day.

As if in vindication of his efforts, this 2011 tastes like the entire Douro compressed into one mouthful of wine.

The tannins seek out every space in the mouth, yammering all the while about schist and sun and berries while the wine itself goes silent, or the brain’s attempt to codify the scents of cassis, black cherries, figs and earth shuts down in the face of a perfect beauty, as if listening for the sound at the peak of a meteor shower in the night sky.

When Nacional hits, as it did in 2011, it can live for a century or more.

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Make sure these tasty vegetarian canapés are in your armoury over the festive season. Easily prepared in advance they can be whipped out to impress last minute guests.



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