Not all Late Bottled Vintage is created equal. Quinta do Noval pioneered this category when it bottled its first LBV in 1958. Right from the early days, Noval chose to treat this wine exactly like its Vintage Port before aging: focusing on using only great-quality, estate-grown grapes trodden by foot. And unlike the prevailing norm where heavy-handed filtration strips out so much, Noval bottles its LBV without filtration. The result is a considerably richer style that shares some of the depth and intensity of Noval’s VP.

Like the Vintage Port, the grapes are stomped in lagares (the traditional stone vats of the Quinta), then macerate during a three-day fermentation to obtain the best possible extraction of the polyphenolic compounds. From a terrific year for this grower’s Ports, it is a rich and complex wine with gorgeous notes of wild berries and blackcurrant fruit alongside hints of dried peel and Christmas spice. True to form, it’s polished and refined with admirable poise, complexity and a twist of quality dark chocolate and sweet tobacco on the lingering finish. The exceptional 2019 carries on this wine’s proud tradition of fine, structured tannins, great freshness and purity of fruit.

Quinta do Noval is an astonishing wine estate, with a rare combination of deep history and innovation. Founded in 1715, it has changed hands just twice in over 300 years. As we’ve so often written, the most important thing to understand about Quinta do Noval is, that unlike the other famous names in the world of Port, Noval is a single estate, a single vineyard, a producer that controls every step of production from vine to bottle. The much larger Port houses buy the vast majority of their fruit and therefore cannot control the viticulture (except at any quintas they own). They also make wine in far larger volumes which, as we know, has its cons.

Quinta do Noval haven’t missed declaring a vintage for well over a decade. This is partly a reflection of a decade with some outstanding harvests but also Noval’s tendency to behave more like a Bordeaux château than a traditional Port shipper. Christian Seely reports that homogenous ripening resulted in ripe, healthy lagares with clean aromatic expression, phenolic balance and ideal freshness. The results were excellent for several parcels of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa and Sousão. The (ungrafted) Nacional and other old field blend parcels were exceptional. Made from 12 different wines from different parcels, the wine matured for 18 months in old wooden barrels and was bottled in May 2025 with 92 g/L residual sugar.

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 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 then, only in suitable 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 accounts for only about 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 because it is produced exclusively from ungrafted vines on their original rootstocks and, therefore, directly ‘attached to 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 typically sublimely refined, Port of rare finesse. The Romanée-Conti of Ports if you like.

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.

The most revered and collectable 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 great wines of the world. It is also almost certainly the rarest of the great wines of the world as so little is released and 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 typically sublimely refined Port of rare finesse. The La Romanée-Conti of Ports if you like.

The most revered and collectable 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 great wines of the world. It is also almost certainly the rarest of the great wines of the world as so little is released and 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 typically sublimely refined Port of rare finesse. The La Romanée-Conti of Ports if you like.

When declared in the appropriate vintages, between 100 and 300 cases are made and these are highly sought the world over. We consider ourselves privileged to be able to offer them to you (albeit in tiny quantities) sourced directly from the stocks at the Quinta. Although the winemaking is almost identical to Noval’s VP, in some years the Nacional spends a few extra months in barrel (640 litres). The corte and liberdade (treading) were performed by a group of six for three hours.