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Quinta do Noval

Branco Reserva 2021

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

VINEYARD

This wine is a blend of 60% Viosinho, 40% Gouveio, all coming from Quinta do Noval’s vineyard. A plot filled with garrigue flowers.

WINEMAKING

The two varieties are destemmed and lightly crushed before pressing. This wine is aged in 225-liter French oak barrels for 5 months, 50% in new barrels and 50% from barrels of two vintages, with a bâtonnage done 3 times a week.

VINTAGE

The year began with a fairly wet winter followed by mild temperatures leading into spring. These two conditions led to an early budburst in March. April provided regular rainy spells that positively replenished the soil water reserves.

Flowering occurred quite early in the beginning of May that led to expect an early harvest. July’s mild weather started to shape the character of this harvest because it contrasted completely to last year’s record setting temperatures during the same month. The mild conditions continued into August and led to a slow homogeneous ripening of the grapes and noticeably less dehydration than in 2020.

TASTING NOTES

With a brilliant color, the wine is powerful and rich with an abundance of fruit and floral aromas like the Dittrichia Viscosa that grow between the row of vines. It reveals a remarkable volume, fruitiness, crisp acidity, and mineral structure followed by a long and fresh finish.

Color

White

Appellation

Douro Valley, Portugal

Alcohol

14%

Suggested Retail Price

$75

Reviews

93

"Apple, quince, lemon preserves"

James Suckling - September 14, 2023

"This is perfumed with white nectarines, white flowers, raw almonds and dried spicy herbs. Medium- to full-bodied. Solid and meaty with density to its texture. But it still remains juicy and vivid. Long and chalky finish. A blend of viosinho and gouveio." J.S. 2/23

92

"Elegant and understated"

Wine Advocate - September 15, 2023

"The 2021 Reserva Branco is a 60/40 blend of Viosinho and Gouveio aged for five months in 50% new French barriques. This is the debut vintage of this wine [...]. The winery certainly picked a nice white wine vintage for a debut. This is elegant and understated, tinged with some wood but also lively acidity. " M.S. 7/22

91

"Apple, quince, lemon preserves"

Wine Spectator - February 10, 2023

"A compact, medium-bodied white, with graphite, quinine and spice notes lacing poached apple and quince fruit, pastry and lemon preserves. The profile is coiled around racy acidity, keeping this focused and refreshing through to the lingering, chalk-tinged finish. Viosinho and Gouveio." A.N 2/23

Trade Materials

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Quinta do Noval Branco Reserva Bottle Shot

Other Wines by this Producer

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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

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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.

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