2021 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port

“Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2021 has a marked stylistic individuality, reflecting the particular conditions of the vintage. Very elegant and balanced on the nose, with great finesse, it reveals pure floral notes and black fruit aromas. This 2021 Vintage Port is strongly aromatic, with dense, firm and fine tannins. The purity of the fruit, the elegance and the balance are among the most striking characteristics of this lovely vintage year.” Carlos Agrellos, Technical Director

Noval’s Vintage Port is a single-quinta wine, the grapes passing a strict selection program from Noval’s vineyards on the slopes of Douro’s Cavadinha tributary. The 2021 vintage marks the 11th Port declaration in a row for Quinta do Noval, and this year’s wine represents only 4% of the estate’s entire production. Each year, the blending proportions for the Vintage Port will vary depending on the varieties which performed best. The 2021 is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Sousão, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Francesa—all foot-trodden in temperature-controlled granite lagares.
The wine matured for 18 months in old wooden barrels and was bottled in May 2023 with 97 g/L residual sugar. From the purity of its floral-led aromas and layered berry-fruited palate, this is Noval in its most elegant form. As always, it’s a wine of striking purity and intensity, yet it wears its power lightly, and the long, gently spiced finish is pure class. A delicious counterpoint to the opulent wines of recent years, it will work well in restaurants from a reasonably young age.