Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2015

Professional Ratings

• 95 James Suckling
  Exquisite aromas of blackberry, stone, violet and blueberry. Lead pencil too. Ink. Full body, chewy and linear with super polished yet intense tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Classic Noval character through a direct punch to the palate. This needs at least until 2022 to open but already excellent.
• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2015 Vintage Port is a field blend. It comes in at 94 grams per liter of residual sugar. This was a tank sample, out of barrel and the final blend, about two weeks away from bottling when tasted at Noval's lodge, but it was also retasted from bottle in the USA a short while later. Given the shipping not long after bottling, I'll still use a range, even if leaning to the higher part of it. It should be in the marketplace by the time this article appears. Lighter styled, this has an elegant mid-palate and subtle demeanor—but Noval always seems to me to emphasize mid-palate finesse. Then, there are the gloriously fresh flavors of the vintage, a year that produced fine intensity of flavor. Strongly aromatic, it also has hints of eucalyptus on the nose and/or cistus. Tightening steadily as it aired out, it demonstrated that it has that serious backbone, the firmness, I've come to expect, too. It was much more interesting about three days after it was first opened, sunnier and more expressive. The finish is long and jam-packed with delicious fruit, while the purity of that fruit is remarkable. Between its backbone and the freshness of the year, it should age well. Few will refuse a second glass of this debonair Porto at the moment, but it has a significant upside in the cellar. The fashionable trend these days is to suggest drinking Vintage Port younger and younger, but many will be happier with this around 2030-2035 or so. Admittedly, it is wonderfully delicious now.
  Barrel Sample: 94-95
• 95 Wine Enthusiast
  Noval, one of the showpiece estates of the Douro, releases vintages in most years. This wine gives a fine reflection of what is, in fact, a great vintage which was almost a general declaration. It is impressive, ripe with generous black fruits and a fine balance between the spirit and the rich structure and fruit. It is going to mature quickly in the sense that it can be drunk within the next five years. It will also age for several decades.
• 95 Wine Spectator
  This is very polished in feel, with long, caressing, fine-grained structure that allows plum eau-de-vie, boysenberry puree and blackberry cobbler notes to play out at their leisure. Light anise and ganache hints accent the finish while the fruit blazes through. Rock 'em, sock 'em Port. Best from 2030 through 2045.
• 95 Jeb Dunnuck

  The 2015 Vintage Port is the normal blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão and Sousão, all from the estate, that spent 18 months in barrel. This full-bodied, rich, opulent effort offers textbook plum and raisined fruits with loads of candied black olives, orange rind, and spice. Despite its richness and depth, it’s surprisingly fresh and lively, with integrated acidity, sensational purity of fruit, and a brilliant sense of elegance. It needs a decade of cellaring and will keep for 3-4 more decades.