Quinta Do Noval, Vintage Port, 2019

Quinta do Noval continues to tread its own path in the Port world. Contrary to many of their peers, they have declared a beautiful, if very tiny, 2019 Vintage Port. In their words, “if we believe that we have wines of the quality and personality to join the ranks of the Quinta do Noval Vintage Ports of previous years, we will bottle it and declare it, even if this means declaring several years in a row, and even if it means, as is often the case, bottling only a few hundred cases of Quinta do Noval Vintage Port, representing a tiny percentage of the total production of the Quinta.” Indeed, the fabled terroir of Noval, as a single property, is world-renowned, as is its complex varietal makeup, high proportion of old vines, and intricate range of elevation and exposition. Ultimately, this is a magical property that has all bases covered and it is these qualities that allow Noval to produce consistently high quality wines, pretty much year-in year-out.

2019 is a vintage of great aromatic intensity and freshness, being overall dry but slightly cooler than average, which meant minimal disease pressure and no undue stress on the vines. In fact, the Quinta reports a slightly higher than average yield, which allowed them to make best and tightest selection possible, playing to the vintage’s high natural acidities and overall sense of lift. Harvest concluded late by recent standards, on the 18th October, and this extended hang time encouraged further complexity and produced grapes with finely sculpted tannins, and oodles of floral, red fruit. It is simply a delicious Vintage Port that will not disappoint in ten years’ time.