Quinta do Noval Vintage Port Nacional 2017
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Robert
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Jeb
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Vintage Port Nacional is a field blend, mostly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz, aged for 18 months in old wood. It comes in at 99 grams of residual sugar and was bottled about a month before this tasting after 18 months in wooden vats. In 2016, I might've made an argument that the regular Noval was better. In this vintage, this seems to be a clear choice, granting that Ports change constantly in their youth. Its siblings at all levels in the last few vintages are very fine, but this is an indisputable benchmark that seems to better them all. Rich and vibrant, this has plenty of stuffing and flavor, more than the regular Noval. Then, it adds layer after layer of power. A couple of hours of air makes both the flavors and tannins more intense. It is simply gripping—yet also remarkably fresh. It's a great Noval, and one of the shortlist candidates for "Wine of the Vintage." There were 200 cases produced.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a beautiful, floral wine produced from a small parcel of ungrafted vines. Ripe with layered black fruits as well as rich, dry tannins, it offers loads of spice and concentrated jammy berry fruit flavors. Drink from 2030.
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Wine Spectator
This features dense black currant, fig and plum paste flavors that flow slowly but steadily while warm earth, baker's chocolate, tar and singed mesquite accents course underneath. The finish is riveted by graphite bolts as the fruit builds and fans out, with the structure working in unison all the way. Like a Richard Serra sculpture, this is massive yet clearly defined. A stunning wine. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2035 through 2070.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Vintage Port Nacional is similarly colored to the classic release, but it’s slightly more muscular and meaty, with powerful notes of black plums, melted licorice, menthol, distilled herbs, and coffee. As with the classic cuvée, it’s one of those ports that has incredible power and richness, yet somehow stays light on its feet, fresh, elegant, and weightless. Flawlessly balanced, pure, and straight-up sensational, this magical port is going to round into form with another decade of cellaring and keep for another 40-50 years.
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Wine & Spirits
Noval’s two rows of vines, planted on their own roots—“nacional” rather than American—date to the 1920s, a mixed planting with a significant proportion of souzão. Rather than following the vintage character of any particular year, Nacional often stands apart. In 2017, it’s an aristocratic Port, light bodied and elegant, with a stamina that seems to rise out of the scents of flower petals and savory spice. Or it may be in its endless details, which defy any specific description other than vinous, or, in the case of their length, insane. Responding to the vintage with a different interpretation of greatness, this is likely to live as long as the bigger wines, with its own remarkable grace.
Other Vintages
2016-
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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. When declared, only 200-300 cases of Nacional will be made, and 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:
- Noval was the first to introduce stencilled bottles in the 1920s.
- Noval pioneered the concept of Old Tawnies with an indication of age.
- In 1958, Noval was the first to introduce a late-bottled vintage (LBV).
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.
Port is a sweet, fortified wine with numerous styles: Ruby, Tawny, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), White, Colheita, and a few unusual others. It is blended from from the most important red grapes of the Douro Valley, based primarily on Touriga Nacional with over 80 other varieties approved for use. Most Ports are best served slightly chilled at around 55-65°F.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.