2016 Quinta do Noval
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Seeing out the week of highly celebrated 2016 Vintage Port releases is the magnificent Quinta do Noval. In a vintage praised by Jancis Robinson as “a fine showcase for the continued sophistication of port (and Douro) winemaking”, Quinta do Noval lives up to its reputation for elegance and purity. Positioned at the heart of the Pinhao and Roncoa valleys, Quinta do Noval has some of the best terroir in the Douro and is home to the world’s most collectable and highly praised single vineyard Port – ‘Nacional’. Only 170 cases of Nacional were produced in 2016, so only a very lucky few will be able to get hold of a bottle. This need not detract however from the abundant beauty and excitement delivered by Noval’s flagship Vintage Port. A favourite of FINE+RARE’s for many years, the 2016 Quinta do Noval more than lives up to preceding vintages and stands out in this year’s line-up as one of the most complete and accomplished ports of the 2016 vintage. Marked by its characteristic purity of fruit and elegant complexity, the 2016 is at the same time absolutely bombastic in flavour teeming with citrus, blueberry, blackberry and sultana fruit, and a multitude of complimentary herbs and spices. The wine is extremely balanced, integrated and somehow the most composed and confident of all the Ports we tasted. Fresh, luscious and concentrated juicy fruit – a medley of cassis, red cherries, strawberries, tangerine and mango. Sweet and spicy, with a savoury and herbal layer added by pepper, eucalyptus, thyme and lavender. Wonderfully velvety tannins testament to brilliant elevage and a nod to the vintage. A complete joy to the senses.
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Jancis Robinson MW
Neal Martin
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The 2016 Vintage Port was picked mainly from 19 September in ideal conditions. It is more broody than the 2017 at the moment and demands a little more encouragement from the glass. I have been prudent with my reviews in the past, but this 2016 seems to have considerably improved in the four years since I last encountered it. More earthy in style, it offers lovely dusky black fruit, sage, a touch of menthol and star anis, unfolding in the glass with each swirl. The palate is medium-bodied with a velvety entry. Superb tension here, the acidity cuts through the richness of this Port with effortless ease. Linear, poised and mineral-driven, Vintage Port gets little better than this. Tasted at the Quinta do Noval tasting at Spring restaurant in London.
The 2016 Vintage Port is a field blend, mostly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão and Sousão, aged for 18 months in old wood. It comes in with 82 grams of residual sugar. This was in bottle for only about seven weeks when seen, but I made sure at least some of it had a lot of air. It looks super, with plenty of room to grow in the cellar. Christian Seely likes to say that this regular Noval and the Nacional are not better than one another, just different. In fact, I usually prefer Nacional, but in this vintage I make a case for equality and endorse that view. This was stunning from the first smell, promising concentration, intensity of fruit and great things to come. It had a 100-point nose that made me go "wow!" No wine I tasted had a better nose than this. Violets and blue fruits lead off, with a trace of eucalyptus. I tend to think Noval is a producer that always shows mid-palate finesse, but this seems pretty deep too. It is also intense. The tannins won't sear your mouth because the balance is impeccable. To be sure, it might close down, but it is surprisingly approachable now, notwithstanding that intensity. Rest assured that this lively young Porto still has all the materials to make old bones. Needless to say, "approachable" does not mean "ready." You need to toss this in the cellar for a decade, at least. Purists will say to double that or more. When the palate becomes as expressive as the nose—if it does—this will be entitled to an uptick. No pricing was set yet.
The 2016 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port is a blend of Touriga Naçional, Touriga Franc, Tinta Cão and Sousão, all foot-trodden and aged in wooden casks for 18 months. It has a voluminous, warm and inviting bouquet that positively “bulges” with damson, bilberry, crushed violets and blackcurrants, all beautifully defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with a feisty, spicy opening: black fruit laced with cracked black pepper, clove, cardamom and a pinch of sea salt. Whilst the aromatics have all the “fun”, the palate is more “serious”, as if compensating for the nose with a sense of reserve and restraint. Together they make for a fascinating, quite mercurial Quinta do Noval that should age gloriously over the next 30 years.