Quinta do Noval
Vintage Port 2020
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
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.
Tasting Note
The wine is wonderfully ripe, full and exuberant, spicy on the nose, with very fine long tannins and a classic Noval purity and elegance.
Color
Red
Appellation
Douro Valley, Portugal
Alcohol
19.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$125
Reviews
"Lovely balance"
James Suckling - June 22, 2022 "Lots of pure fruit with blackberries and violets. Full-bodied with firm and creamy tannins, yet plenty of grip. Long and intense. Lovely balance. Stone and crushed fruit at the end." -JS
"Utterly Delicious"
Wine Advocate - August 15, 2022 "The 2020 Vintage Port is a field blend aged for 18 months in old wood vats. It was bottled April 2, 2022, and has 115 grams of residual sugar. There is almost no Touriga Franca in the blend this year, the winery saying the heat in 2020 damaged the grapes. The rest works well, but it's a bit different. This is sexier and softer than the typical Noval, utterly delicious, sweeter and ripe. [...] As always, the color is dramatic, a dark purple. [...] it will certainly be one of the ones that is hardest to resist on the younger side. For the moment, let's start here. You can dive in early on this...." -M.S 8/22
"Minty and Exotic
Decanter - October 14, 2022 "From an early harvest after a hot summer which produced a small quantity of super-concentrated wines: wonderful inky-crimson colour; closing down on the nose but with underlying ripe plum and berry fruit, almost minty and exotic in its ripeness; made in a deliberately rich style with more residual sugar than normal, dense on the palate with broad ripe, gravelly tannins and a big expansive finish. Still a little raw but with beautiful opulence overall and nothing baked or stewed here, despite the heat and power of the vintage." -R.M 8/22
"Macerated black cherries"
Vinous - November 2, 2022 "The 2020 Vintage Port from Noval, which was picked from 1 to 22 September, has a residual sugar of 115g/l. It is forward and lively on the nose with macerated black cherries, cassis, raisin and pressed iris flower. Fine delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with an attractive peppery entry. Lively, good depth and density, this is very focused with impressive structure behind it. Yet there is no heaviness and there is just the right amount of salinity to keep it on its toes on the finish. Exquisite." -N.M 11/22
"Plum reduction and liquorice"
Wine Spectator - January 11, 2023 "A solid, dense and even slightly chunky Port, with baker's chocolate, black currant and plum reduction and licorice root notes mixed together and then backed by a Black Forest cake accent through the grippy finish. There is a lot going on here, and this is among the more backward wines of the vintage. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz." -J.M 1/23
"Jammy, blue fruits"
Jeb Dunnuck - February 10, 2023 "Reminding me of the 2003, the 2020 Vintage Port is distinctly different than the 2018 and 2019 and leads with a huge amount of jammy, almost blue fruits as well as sandalwood, pepper, and Asian spices. Full-bodied, inky, and concentrated, it's much more expansive and supple on the palate, with velvety tannins and a great finish. [...] Nevertheless, if you love port and this doesn't put a smile on your face, I would be utterly shocked." -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.
