Quinta do Noval
Vintage Port 2017
Douro Valley, Portugal
Quinta do Noval Vintage Port is characterized by its purity of fruit and a fine and delicate quality that is typical of the wines of the property in general but which finds its most remarkable and enduring expression in the Vintage Ports. Equilibrium, harmony, finesse and elegance characterize our great Vintage Ports, which are declared only in great years and only when the wines come up to Noval’s exacting standards. Even then, the wines selected for the Quinta do Noval Vintage Port blend represent only a small proportion of our total production.
VINEYARD
The wine is produced exclusively from selected plots at the Quinta, from a blend of These higher quality varieties are planted throughout the vineyard due to the major re-planting project of the early 1990s. At this age, the fruit at the estate is entering the prime of quality.
Farming: These vineyards are farmed sustainably.
Grape Varietes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz.
WINEMAKING
Fermentation: The grapes were fermented in the traditional stone “lagares” of the Quinta, with temperature control at 82°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
2017 was characterized by a cold, dry winter followed by an exceptionally hot and dry spring and summer. Apart from heavy rainfall (25mm) on July 6, only 300ml of rain fell since November 2016. June was the hottest month since 1980, with temperatures reaching 104-111°F in the Douro Valley during a heat wave lasting from June 7 – 24. Due to these extreme weather conditions, all phases of the vine’s growth were 15 – 20 days early compared to 2016. The vines weathered the shortage of water and the high temperatures well. At the end of August the harvest looked very promising, with excellent sanitary conditions. Harvest started much earlier than usual due to the weather: from August 17 for the white wines and August 21 for the reds and the Ports, lasting until September 28, with high temperatures and a total absence of rain.
Color
Red
Appellation
Douro Valley, Portugal
Alcohol
19.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$125
Reviews
"The long finish lets the fruit play out"
Wine Spectator - October 31, 2019 "This is well-packed, offering the vivid plum, boysenberry, cassis and açaí berry fruit profile of the vintage, along with a dark edge of tar, baker's chocolate and salted licorice that courses underneath. The long finish lets the fruit play out, keeping singed alder and chai spice hints in the background. Smolderingly seductive. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz."
"Wonderfully fragrant and intense"
Wine Advocate - July 15, 2019 The 2017 Vintage Port is a field blend, mostly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão and Sousão, aged for 18 months in old wood vats. It comes in with 99 grams of residual sugar. This was bottled in May 2019, about a month before tasting, but I made sure at least some of it had a lot of air. Aromatic, wonderfully fragrant and laced with eucalyptus, this then shows typical Noval focus and power. A couple of hours in a glass simply increased the power. More intense than the very fine 2016, it grips the palate and shows rather significant astringency. As wonderfully aromatic as this is, there the 2016 might have the edge. Too closed and muscular once past the aromatics, this rather dry Port needs some time. It is harder to read than the 2016 was, but this should overtake it in time. Have some patience with this one.
"Is it the best Port ever?"
Vinous - November 2, 2022
"The last time I tasted the 2017 Vintage Port, I posed the question of whether it was the best ever? Perhaps. Picked from 21 August to 28 September, it is beautifully-defined on the nose with layers of black cherries, allspice, violet and cassis, becoming more floral with time in the glass. The palate is well-balanced, very structured with wonderful tension. I love the texture of this Noval, which is slightly granular towards the finish and brims with life. Outstanding."-N.M 11/22
Vinous - June 6, 2019 "The 2017 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port was picked from August 21 to September 28 under perfect conditions. It has a tightly wound bouquet that requires a lot of aeration. Eventually it reveals fabulous, detailed aromas of cassis, bilberry jam, crushed stone and pressed violets, later hints of orange blossom and quince. The palate is pure class. Saturated tannins, wonderful structure but the headline is the intensity of fruit. I cannot remember a Noval with this penetration, almost overwhelming the senses as layers of effervescent black plum and cassis fruit segue into a spicy finish that fans out like there is no tomorrow. Is this the best Quinta do Noval ever?"
Reviews
More on Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2017
Vinous “An Ineluctable Pair: 2017 Vintage Ports”
June 6, 2019 - Vinous' Neal Martin has published an article titled "An Ineluctable Pair: 2017 Vintage Ports" explaining why so many of the Port houses that declared the 2016 vintage felt it simply…
Decanter on Quinta do Noval declaring the 2017 port vintage
April 16, 2019 - Decanter reveals that Quinta do Noval (and Symington Family Estates) has declared the 2017 port vintage. Quinta do Noval's Managing Director, Christian Seely commends the vintage stating that "2017 is…
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
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.
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.
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
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.
Cedro do Noval
Douro Valley, Portugal
Charm and accessibility in an authentically Douro style. Named after the emblematic cedar tree that dominates the terrace of Quinta do Noval, Cedro do Noval is an authentic expression of the Douro.
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.
Nacional Vintage Port
Douro Valley, Portugal
The legend. A small area at the heart of the Quinta do Noval vineyard planted with ungrafted vines and untouched by phylloxera.
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.
Tawny 20 Year Old Port
Douro Valley, Portugal
Noval 20 year old Tawny is a blend of old Ports from different vintages that have matured in oak casks, with an average age of 20 years. Irresistible freshness with all the complexity of age. Harmonious and balanced, fine, elegant and long, with all the aromatic complexity typical of Noval Tawny Ports.
