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Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port 2003

$4,092.00
Out of stock
Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port 2003
Producer Quinta do Noval
Region, Country Douro, Portugal
Bottle Size 750ml
Product Code 21102-750

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.


Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port 2003

Reviews

"Superconcentrated. Dark colour. Brooding nose with savoury, spicy notes alongside taut dark fruits – plum and blackberry. Very fine and elegant. A little reticent. The palate has a freshness and focus to the precise concentrated dark fruits. Amazing structure and some earthy, spicy notes. Just fantastic.”
98 points, Jamie Goode, wineanorak.com
"Blackish crimson. Lifted and muscular. Really glossy and exciting. This doesn’t have the dry finish of the regular 2003. So wild and thrilling! Very firm liquorice. Massive presence in the mouth. Great peacock's tail finish.”
100 points, Jancis Robinson, jancisrobinson.com
“It's beautifully and unexpectedly open on the nose, with a magnificent, haunting floral fragrance of violets and rose petals. The palate is ripe and plummy, initially quite opulent with lovely ripe, broad tannins rising in the mouth. There's a bitter-chocolate intensity on the mid-palate, yielding to a glorious finish. Massive yet supremely elegant at the same time, this is already impressive but will be better still in five years.”
100 points, Richard Mayson, Decanter
“Exotic, with a flash of mint giving way quickly to vivid blueberry paste, açaí berry reduction and blackberry pâte de fruit notes that are still quite youthful in profile. Shows both silky and brambly elements, as well as muscle and finesse as this extends with salted licorice, dark chocolate, cinnamon and alder accents through the mineral-tinged finish, where the minty note returns as a seductive echo. Unique and gorgeous. Best from 2025 through 2050. 240 cases made, 20 cases imported.”
97 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Reviews

"Superconcentrated. Dark colour. Brooding nose with savoury, spicy notes alongside taut dark fruits – plum and blackberry. Very fine and elegant. A little reticent. The palate has a freshness and focus to the precise concentrated dark fruits. Amazing structure and some earthy, spicy notes. Just fantastic.”
98 points, Jamie Goode, wineanorak.com
"Blackish crimson. Lifted and muscular. Really glossy and exciting. This doesn’t have the dry finish of the regular 2003. So wild and thrilling! Very firm liquorice. Massive presence in the mouth. Great peacock's tail finish.”
100 points, Jancis Robinson, jancisrobinson.com
“It's beautifully and unexpectedly open on the nose, with a magnificent, haunting floral fragrance of violets and rose petals. The palate is ripe and plummy, initially quite opulent with lovely ripe, broad tannins rising in the mouth. There's a bitter-chocolate intensity on the mid-palate, yielding to a glorious finish. Massive yet supremely elegant at the same time, this is already impressive but will be better still in five years.”
100 points, Richard Mayson, Decanter
“Exotic, with a flash of mint giving way quickly to vivid blueberry paste, açaí berry reduction and blackberry pâte de fruit notes that are still quite youthful in profile. Shows both silky and brambly elements, as well as muscle and finesse as this extends with salted licorice, dark chocolate, cinnamon and alder accents through the mineral-tinged finish, where the minty note returns as a seductive echo. Unique and gorgeous. Best from 2025 through 2050. 240 cases made, 20 cases imported.”
97 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

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