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Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2021
Region: Douro Valley
Variety: Traditional field blend
Vintage: 2021
Country: Portugal
The Wine
Quinta do Noval is one of the Douro’s most historic and revered estates, famed for its legendary Nacional vineyard and uncompromising selection standards.
The 2021 Vintage Port was declared following an outstanding growing season marked by balanced ripening and exceptional fruit quality. Grapes are sourced from the estate’s terraced schist vineyards, foot-trodden in traditional granite lagares and fortified to preserve natural sweetness and structure.
Aged in large oak vats prior to bottling, the wine is built for decades of development — dense yet refined, powerful yet precise.
Cellared Says
Blackberry compote, violet and dark chocolate wrapped in monumental tannins. Concentrated yet beautifully balanced from this cooler year. 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.
Port that isn’t just for 3 am drinking. Take your time.
Wine Reviews
This is the latest release of Noval's legendary Port. It comes from a small parcel, almost like a kitchen garden, of rare ungrafted vines (planted on their own rootstock). The intensity and richness of the wine proclaim its pedigree and enormous potential. The black fruits and ripe tannins are laced with spirit and ripe sweetness. Acidity and perfumes also play their part, giving a wine that is almost immortal. Drink at the earliest from 2032.
99 points Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast
“Intense aromas of black fruits with blueberries, lead pencil and graphite. Wet earth as well. Full-bodied and layered with very fine tannins and a juicy and savory finish. There is such polish and beauty to this. Reminds me of the 1967. Best after 2030.”
95 points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
“Made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz, trodden by foot in granite lagares: very deep, opaque crimson; open and scented on the nose with a slight green undertone, multi-layered showing considerable depth; lovely sappy-minty ripeness on the palate with broad, firm, fine-grained tannins mid-palate which persist on the finish. Not a big wine but balanced and showing considerable finesse.”
18 points, 18/20, Richard Mayson, richardmayson.com
“This solidly built version displays a graphite edge running from start to finish, giving a structured feel as notes of dark plum, blackberry and black currant reduction move through slowly, building tension and power along the way. Baker's chocolate, espresso crema, licorice root and alder notes all infuse on the finish, lending a level of scale and length that sets this apart from the pack in this vintage. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2040 through 2060. 1,500 cases made, 180 cases imported.”
95 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
Region: Douro Valley
Variety: Traditional field blend
Vintage: 2021
Country: Portugal
The Wine
Quinta do Noval is one of the Douro’s most historic and revered estates, famed for its legendary Nacional vineyard and uncompromising selection standards.
The 2021 Vintage Port was declared following an outstanding growing season marked by balanced ripening and exceptional fruit quality. Grapes are sourced from the estate’s terraced schist vineyards, foot-trodden in traditional granite lagares and fortified to preserve natural sweetness and structure.
Aged in large oak vats prior to bottling, the wine is built for decades of development — dense yet refined, powerful yet precise.
Cellared Says
Blackberry compote, violet and dark chocolate wrapped in monumental tannins. Concentrated yet beautifully balanced from this cooler year. 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.
Port that isn’t just for 3 am drinking. Take your time.
Wine Reviews
This is the latest release of Noval's legendary Port. It comes from a small parcel, almost like a kitchen garden, of rare ungrafted vines (planted on their own rootstock). The intensity and richness of the wine proclaim its pedigree and enormous potential. The black fruits and ripe tannins are laced with spirit and ripe sweetness. Acidity and perfumes also play their part, giving a wine that is almost immortal. Drink at the earliest from 2032.
99 points Roger Voss - Wine Enthusiast
“Intense aromas of black fruits with blueberries, lead pencil and graphite. Wet earth as well. Full-bodied and layered with very fine tannins and a juicy and savory finish. There is such polish and beauty to this. Reminds me of the 1967. Best after 2030.”
95 points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
“Made from Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz, trodden by foot in granite lagares: very deep, opaque crimson; open and scented on the nose with a slight green undertone, multi-layered showing considerable depth; lovely sappy-minty ripeness on the palate with broad, firm, fine-grained tannins mid-palate which persist on the finish. Not a big wine but balanced and showing considerable finesse.”
18 points, 18/20, Richard Mayson, richardmayson.com
“This solidly built version displays a graphite edge running from start to finish, giving a structured feel as notes of dark plum, blackberry and black currant reduction move through slowly, building tension and power along the way. Baker's chocolate, espresso crema, licorice root and alder notes all infuse on the finish, lending a level of scale and length that sets this apart from the pack in this vintage. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. Best from 2040 through 2060. 1,500 cases made, 180 cases imported.”
95 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator