critic reviews
The 2014 Vintage Port is certainly the most backward of Noval's recent vintages, notes of black fruit, orange rind, sage, flecks of powdered dark chocolate and white pepper. The palate is ripe and viscous on the entry, tightly-knit and probably not as precise as subsequent vintages, just missing a bit of flair towards the finish. I wonder whether this is in an awkward phase? Very linear at the moment, but the precision is there. Keep this in the cellar. Incidentally, this was Noval's smallest declaration of 700 cases. Tasted at the Quinta do Noval tasting at Spring restaurant in London.
The 2014 Vintage Port is part of our mini-vertical this issue. Sexy and delicious, this is pretty much ready to drink now, in theory. When first poured, it was a bit tight, but another look with decanting showed that it was ready to roll, needing no more time at all. If it's not a terribly well-structured Port by Noval's standards, it still has some at least. The good news is that the flavors have evolved a little, justifying my initial optimism. My first look had the flavor profile showing overly dry and a little washed out. Now, there's fruit tooat least some. This will never be a particularly impressive Noval, but it should still drink well over a couple of decades, at least. Maybe it will surprise us in the end, but it is worth noting that it was blasted off the table by its siblings in this issue's mini-vertical, seeming duller, weaker and more stolid.