The most revered and collectible Port in the world, Quinta do Noval Nacional is a Vintage Port produced from a single 2.5-hectare parcel of ungrafted vines in the Quinta do Noval estate, right next to the cellars. This patch of vines consistently produces a sublime and unique wine which is widely considered to be the pinnacle of Vintage Port and, indeed, one of the world’s great wines. It is also almost certainly the rarest of the world's great wines as so little is released—and even then, only in the appropriate years.

The Nacional plot is not named after the grape Touriga Nacional (as is commonly assumed). In fact, the site is planted with a range of the best Port varieties, including Touriga Nacional (which only accounts for roughly 30%), Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão (about 20%, 60-year-old vines), Tinta Roriz and some Sousão. The average age of the vines is around 50 years. The wine is called Nacional (i.e. national) because it is produced exclusively from ungrafted vines (i.e. vines on their original rootstocks and therefore directly in touch with the soil of the nation). The yields of these vines are minuscule (around 15 hl/ha), and the tight bunches of small, deeply coloured grapes produce a massively profound yet sublimely refined Port. The La Romanée-Conti of Ports if you like.

In 2019, Quinta do Noval acquired a second estate in Portugal’s Douro Valley: Quinta do Passadouro. Quinta do Passadouro dates to the 18th century and has long been highly regarded for both its Port and table wines. The property is in the Cima Corgo sub-region, close to the village of Vale de Mendiz in the heart of the demarcated Douro region. Since 1991, the estate has been well run by the Bohrmann family (who also own a domaine in Meursault).

Passadouro is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz picked between 26th August and 8th October. The quinta’s vines range from 100 to 300 metres above sea level, requiring such a prolonged, multi-tiered harvest. Made in roughly the same fashion as Noval’s own Vintage Port, the style here—while also one of class and sophistication—is more medium-bodied, youthfully buoyant and immedicably approachable than the Noval.

In 2021, only 6.5% of Passadouro’s production was used to craft this wine. It was bottled in May 2023 with 88 g/L residual sugar. It’s a harmonious and appealing vintage with notes of violet, plum and hints of dark chocolate, lovely intensity without any heaviness and a surprisingly delicate and fresh finish. It’s the most accomplished Passadouro we have shipped—perhaps unsurprising as this is the first vintage fully controlled by the Noval team.

Noval’s Vintage Port is a single-quinta wine, the grapes passing a strict selection program from Noval’s vineyards on the slopes of Douro’s Cavadinha tributary. The 2021 vintage marks the 11th Port declaration in a row for Quinta do Noval, and this year’s wine represents only 4% of the estate’s entire production. Each year, the blending proportions for the Vintage Port will vary depending on the varieties which performed best. The 2021 is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Sousão, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Francesa—all foot-trodden in temperature-controlled granite lagares.

The wine matured for 18 months in old wooden barrels and was bottled in May 2023 with 97 g/L residual sugar. From the purity of its floral-led aromas and layered berry-fruited palate, this is Noval in its most elegant form. As always, it’s a wine of striking purity and intensity, yet it wears its power lightly, and the long, gently spiced finish is pure class. A delicious counterpoint to the opulent wines of recent years, it will work well in restaurants from a reasonably young age.

This is the youngest of the Noval Tawnies with an age indication. It’s made from 50% estate fruit with the balance from A-grade producers in the heart of the Douro Valley. Alongside Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional and Sousão now enter the story. The grapes are foot-trodden and fermented in the traditional lagares of the Quinta. After fortification, the wine is moved to old oak barrels of 640 litres for aging. 

Unlike Noval’s 10-year-old Tawny, this wine is made entirely from fruit cropped from the Quinta do Noval estate, so this is a step up in quality as well as age. In Port and the Douro, Richard Mayson has referred to this category as, “the epitome of balance combining freshness and delicacy with the secondary toasted almond and walnut complexity from ageing in wood.” Noval’s contribution to the 20-year-old field is pure premier league. Sublimely elegant and refined, there’s so much intricacy and toffee-scented depth. It’s a perfect example of how delicious and complex a 20-year-old Tawny Port can be. 

Noval’s 40-year-old is made in tiny quantities and shows the heights this style of wine can reach with careful, extended oak aging. Noval’s aged Tawnies are bottled to order, which guarantees their freshness—even at this age the wine is zesty and full of life. Precise and focused on the palate, and with exceptional length, this is a true masterpiece to compare with the greatest wines of the region.

The Portuguese word colheita means ‘harvest’. A Colheita Port must be from a single year and aged for a minimum of seven years in wood before bottling. In practice many are aged for considerably longer (as is the case at Noval) and so Colheita Ports can vary greatly in style.

Noval’s Colheita is only made in exceptional years, when certain lots of wine with great aging potential are set aside to be aged in cascos (old casks with a capacity of 640 litres). When Noval feels the wine is ready—usually after about 15 years—a portion is bottled for release. The rest of the stocks of will continue to age in barrel for bottlings in the future.

The 2007 purrs with class. Already drinking beautifully, it will pair with chocolate ganache, walnut and date tart, chocolate/orange desserts and spiced fruit flan.

The Portuguese word colheita means ‘harvest’. A Colheita Port must be from a single year and aged for a minimum of seven years in wood before bottling. In practice many are aged for considerably longer (as is the case at Noval) and so Colheita Ports can vary greatly in style.

Noval’s Colheita is only made in exceptional years, when certain lots of wine with great aging potential are set aside to be aged in cascos (old casks with a capacity of 640 litres). When Noval feels the wine is ready—usually after about 15 years—a portion is bottled for release. The rest of the stocks of will continue to age in barrel for bottlings in the future.

The 1997 presents as lithe and muscular, with laser-focused drive and pinpoint acidity, matched to a svelte palate branded with beautiful flavours of spice, and a walnut and coffee cake finish that lasts an age.

The Portuguese word colheita means ‘harvest’. A Colheita Port must be from a single year and aged for a minimum of seven years in wood before bottling. In practice, many are aged for considerably longer (as is the case at Noval), and so Colheita Ports can vary greatly in style.

Noval’s Colheita is only made in exceptional years, when certain lots of wine with great aging potential are set aside to be aged in cascos (old casks with a capacity of 640 litres). When Noval feels the wine is ready—usually after about 15 years—a portion is bottled for release. The rest of the stocks will continue to age in barrel for bottlings in the future.

In a very sweet spot, the beautifully refined 1995 exhibits umami (mushroom broth) and tilled earth notes, well integrated into a bright fruit and floral-noted palate underscored by tight and classically structured framework. With a vibrancy that defies its years, this beauty still has a long way to go (if desired).