Quinta do Noval

Quinta do Noval is one of the oldest port houses. The name Quinta do Noval is first mentioned in official documents as early as 1715. Unfortunately, the phylloxera plague also hit Noval and many vineyards were destroyed. It is António José da Silva who takes over the winery in 1894 and starts restoring the vineyards. Together with his son-in-law Luiz Vasconcelos Porto, they planted new vineyards and created wider terraces. This allowed for more efficient work and better exposure to the sun. This provided a huge quality boost and soon Quinta do Noval gained an exceptional reputation for vintage port. In 1993, the winery was acquired by AXA Millésimes.

The vineyard area covers some 192 hectares. This area is spread over several plots, all of which carry an A certificate. This is the highest classification in Douro. This classification takes into account location, altitude, soil, planting density, grape varieties, vine age and yield per hectare. Noval's vineyards are planted at 100 to 500 metres altitude. The soil consists mainly of slate and some clay. Here, the noble varieties touriga nacional, touriga franca, tinta roriz, tinta cão and sousão are planted.

After a rigorous selection procedure, the bunches are treaded in traditional lagares. This is followed by fermentation, which is stopped early by adding aguardente (wine alcohol). The ageing process depends on the style of the port: ruby, tawny or a vintage. In total, Noval produces 15 different port wines and nine still wines.

The wine that stands out is Quinta do Noval Vintage Port Nacional. This port is made from one small plot which survived the phylloxera plague. Hence the wine is called Nacional, which refers to the fact that it is still original Portuguese vines that have not been grafted onto a foreign grape. The Nacional is only produced in very good years. Should it be such a year, only 250 cases are produced. This port is therefore very rare.

The iconic vintages are: 2011 and 2017. Robert Parker rated both vintages of Quinta do Noval Vintage Port Nacional with up to 100 points!