Quinta do Noval
Nacional Vintage Port 2020
Douro Valley, Portugal
The word “Nacional” refers to the fact that the vines are Portuguese vines growing in Portuguese soil with no foreign root stock and are therefore “attached to the soil of the Nation.” When Noval’s vineyards were devastated by phylloxera in the late 19th century, the owner decided to replant a tiny parcel of the vineyard with ungrafted vines. These 6 acres of Nacional vines lie in an area indistinguishable from and surrounded by the other Noval vines.
Studied thoroughly by agronomists and scientists, the survival of the tiny parcel of legendary ungrafted vines is a mystery and the National is a unique and extraordinary phenomenon that does not necessarily follow the same rhythm as the rest of the Quinta do Noval. In some years a great Nacional is produced when Noval does not even declare the Quinta do Noval Vintage. In others, Quinta do Noval makes a great Vintage Port but the Nacional does not perform.
Tasting a bottle from the minute production of Nacional is every port lover’s fantasy and Nacional is every port lover’s fantasy and this great wine is a source of pride to the people of Portugal and at its best the finest expression of the extraordinary terroir of Quinta do Noval.
Up close, it becomes apparent that the Nacional vines are slightly less vigorous, with smaller trunks and less foliage, and with leaves that are slightly less vibrant green. The berries are smaller, giving a higher ratio of skin to juice. The grapes are picked in one day and trodden in only the smallest lagares but otherwise are treated with the same meticulous care as the other Quinta do Noval wines.
“This wine is a mysterious phenomenon, a magical wine produced in extremely limited quantities and only in a few years each decade. It is the expression of a terroir and confirms something that is for me a deeply held belief. The Nacional is great because of the grapes and where they come from, not because of anything particular that we do. It has a unique personality, an extraordinary intensity and, even after many years of ageing, retains an astonishing youthfulness.” Christian Seely
VINEYARD
The Nacional parcel is planted with a mix of the noble grape varieties of the Douro, principally Touriga Franca; Tinto Cão; Touriga Nacional; Sousão and Tinta Roriz. As a vine dies, it is replanted from the cuttings of another vine in the vineyard.
WINEMAKING
Fermentation: The grapes were fermented in the traditional stone “lagares” of the Quinta, with temperature control at 84°F. Grapes were trodden by foot to obtain the must, then macerated during fermentation to obtain the best possible extraction.
Aging: The wine was aged for 18 months in wooden barrels in the cellars of the Quinta.
VINTAGE
2020 was a hot and dry year, with a prolonged ripening period throughout the summer that led to an early harvest, as the grapes became fully ripe by early September. The resulting wines are extremely rich and powerful, voluminous, sensual, with great density. Tannic structure is immense, but with remarkable finesse.
Color
Red
Grape Varieties
Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional
Appellation
Douro Valley, Portugal
Alcohol
19.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$1125.00
Reviews
"Darkness and depth"
James Suckling - June 22, 2022 "A solid and energetic Nacional that has hints of greatness. Full and tight with darkness and depth. Very minerally and creamy tannins with intensity and length. Slightly stemmy and green character that you look for in great vintage Port" -J.S
"Delicious and Irresistible"
Wine Advocate - August 15, 2022 "The 2020 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 was bottled April 2, 2022, with 113 grams of residual sugar and 19.2% alcohol. Like its regular Vintage sibling in this report, this is on the sweeter side for Noval, although still well in normal range. This is pretty fine, [...] considering the grandeur of this brand. And like its sibling, it also is simply delicious and irresistible, easy to drink on the younger side, for Noval. This does have more of a backbone than the regular bottling, though, and more upside potential in the cellar. With air, it quickly showed off the great fruit, tinged with a bit of red berries and eucalyptus..." -M.S 8/22
"Plum sauce and açaí berry"
Wine Spectator - January 12, 2023 "A bird of a different feather, this shows remarkable purity for the vintage, along with a rippling tension that sets it completely apart. Delivers a mix of cassis, plum sauce and açaí berry compote on the fruit side, along with bramble, salted licorice, cast iron and bittersweet chocolate notes filling in throughout. Massively structured, too, and there's even a flash of violet at the very end—which takes a while to get to. A special wine. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz." -J.M 1/23
"Well-balanced beauty"
Jeb Dunnuck - February 10, 2023 "As with the base Noval, the 2020 Vintage Port Nacional is much more about opulence, power, and richness than complexity and elegance, but, hey, there's a case for many styles. Certainly, the Nacional brings more precision and focus, and this full-bodied, well-balanced beauty has everything you could want in a top Port. Red and black plums, candied black olives, tobacco, roasted herbs, cassis, and violets all define the nose, and it develops a wonderfully nuanced bouquet with air and certainly doesn't lack complexity. Again, 2003 comes to mind when tasting both of the 2020s from Quinta do Noval. The wines are ripe, sexy, yet also pure, beautifully balanced, and incredibly impressive. " -J.D 2/23
Reviews
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Douro Reserva
Douro Valley, Portugal
Very powerful and structured, it is outstanding for its finesse, a delicate character typical of the Quinta do Noval style. It is derived from a strict selection of the best batches of the Quinta's various indigenous grape varieties. This wine is delicious when young and ages well in the cellar.
Fine White Port
Douro Valley, Portugal
A white port made with traditional white grape varietals from the Douro Valley. It is a blend of wines aged between 2 and 3 years to create a wine that is fruity, fine, sweet, unctuous, with a good aromatic persistence.
Branco Reserva
Douro Valley, Portugal
An authentic white wine with the ambitious to represent the best white wine produced in the Douro Valley. It is derived from a strict selection of the best batches of the Quinta's various indigenous grape varieties. Rich and structured, it is outstanding for its finesse and intensity
Vinhas da Marka
Douro Valley
Vinhas da Marka is the very first edition of a new exciting project called ‘Terroir Series’. Every edition will focus on one specific terroir that was identified that year as exceptional. A few years ago, Quinta do Noval concluded an agreement with the Agrellos family for the long term lease of the vineyard of Quinta da Marka, which we had identified as having terroir of exceptional potential. This potential was revealed by the outstanding red wines produced in the 2019 vintage. It was so remarkable, that the Noval team has decided to release a very limited volume of that wine. Only 200 bottles was brought into the US.
Fine Ruby Port
Douro Valley, Portugal
This is a deep-colored lively, peppery wine full of fresh fruit flavors it is bottled after three years in cask. An ideal Port for informal drinking.
Late Bottled Vintage Single Vineyard Port
Douro Valley, Portugal
This wine is a remarkable example of the Noval style. Treated exactly like a Vintage Port with only noble grape varieties that sourced exclusively from estate vineyards, trodden by foot and unfiltered. This expression differs in its extended aging, seeing five years in casks instead of the typical two years for Vintage Ports. Definitely an LBV with a difference, this wine has fine structured tannins, great freshness and purity of fruit. It is delicious to drink today, but will age beautifully in its bottle.
Tawny 40 Year Old Port
Douro Valley, Portugal
Noval was the first port house to introduce blended tawnies with an indication of average age. Their eldest offering, the Noval Tawny 40 Year Old Port, is a remarkable representation of the quintessence of the Noval Tawny style: a profoundly concentrated and complex old wine, the memory of the house.
Cedro do Noval Branco
Douro Valley, Portugal
Named after the emblematic cedar tree that dominates Quinta do Noval's terrace, Cedro do Noval is an authentic expression of the Douro. It is made at Quinta do Noval using carefully selected grapes 100 % grown on the highest steeply terraced vineyards of Quinta do Noval, in the heart of the Douro Valley, in Northern Portugal.
Touriga Nacional
Douro DOC
Intense and concentrated, with fine tannic structure, Touriga Nacional is distinguished by its delicacy, a characteristic of the Quinta do Noval style. It is the product of a strict selection from the best lots produced by our Quinta in any given year.
Colheita
Douro Valley
Colheita is a Vintage Tawny Port. Wheras Tawnies with an indication of age show the house style, Vintage Tawnies show the personality of the vintage year. Colheita spends its entire life in barrel until the moment of bottling. On the nose they are fresh, powerful and fruit-forward, with balanced acidity. On the palate they have a nutty, oxidized character with a seductively smooth finish.
