Wine Advocate’s Mark Squires releases his “Best of 2019” which features both the 2017 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port and the 2013 Quinta do Noval Unfiltered LBV Vintage Port. Squires made special note that for the second year in a row, the Ports “steal the show.” This should not be surprising as it is the second year in a row when a classic vintage Port was declared! Squires says that the 2017 vintage “… is a great vintage, with the freshness of the 2016s, but often more power and concentration. That’s a generalization, to be sure. The point, however, is that there is no shortage of great Ports in this 2017 vintage.”
- This is a great Nacional, and that means it is a great Port. There are many stunning and pricey specialty items in this great vintage. Graham’s Stone Terraces ($240), Taylor’s Vargellas Vinha Velha ($275) and the Vesúvio Capela ($180) from Symington come to mind. The top of the market performed brilliantly in this vintage. They are special. Bargain hunters might note that you can save big bucks by grabbing the “regular” Vintage Ports from some of those same producers, many of which performed rather brilliantly themselves. The regular Taylor’s, for instance, was rated at a mere 98-100 and costs only $120. One reason I call 2017 a great vintage is because of its consistency at all ends of the scale.
- Noval is a go-to source for traditional LBVs. This is another fine value.
To read more about Quinta do Noval, read the full article HERE.
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Quinta do Noval
Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port 2017
Douro Valley, Portugal
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." The survival of the tiny parcel (6 acres) 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. 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.
Quinta do Noval
Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port
Douro Valley, Portugal
The legend. A small area at the heart of the Quinta do Noval vineyard planted with ungrafted vines and untouched by phylloxera.
Related Producers
Quinta do Noval
Douro Valley, Portugal
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.