Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2023 Naçional was picked a little later than planned, even though rain was forecast for two days. Harvest took place on 20 September in the morning, and the wine was matured for 18 months in 2,500-litre oak and chestnut casks. It has a very intense bouquet with black fruit, a light hint of liquorice (less so than in other vintages), camphor and a brush of peony. The palate shows exquisite balance and poise, remaining fresh with a fine bead of acidity. Elegant in style like the regular Noval, it is lightly spiced with bouquet garni, fennel and white pepper that lingers in the mouth. Very persistent, there is something audacious yet calm about this latest iteration of Naçional.
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James Suckling
Incredible purity, depth and freshness, with aromas of pressed violets, iodine, crushed ripe blackberries, prunes, tar and sweet dried black cherries. Immense concentration, with a full-bodied palate, dusty small-grained tannins and flavors of sweet black fruit, dark chocolate and violet extract. It is really powerful and extremely youthful and floral. This will age effortlessly. Drink from 2035 through the next four decades.
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Wine Spectator
Displays a wild mix of sage and singed tobacco mixed in with grippy tar, espresso crema and black currant reduction notes. Bristles with energy, making this stand out in this vintage, while licorice snap, roasted apple wood and hot slate all flash on the finish. At the very end there’s a pure violet note as a counterpoint to this red’s fairly zesty, rambunctious side. Patience will be rewarded. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2040 through 2060.
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. To learn more, see our full Port Wine Guide
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.