Quinta do Noval
Vintage Port 2018
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
After a dry winter, 2018 was marked by a very cold temperatures and high rainfall until mid-summer, and a hot, dry end of summer. Budbreak started late and in good condition.
Following a long, summery period, high temperatures and water stress were optimum for the anthocyanic richness of the skins and ideal ripening of the grapes.
The sanitary state of the grapes was excellent at harvest time. Harvest took place from 5 September to 13 October in good weather conditions, with high temperatures and no rain. It produced high quality wines with good levels of sugar, acidity and phenolic compounds. The Ports are exceptional 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
Grape Varieties
Touriga Nacionale
Appellation
Douro Valley, Portugal
Alcohol
19.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$125
Reviews
"Exuberant and calls out for attention"
Vinous - June 24, 2020 "The 2018 Quinta do Noval is exuberant and calls out for attention on the nose: black plums, sage, cloves and potent scents of fireside hearth. Lovely definition here and very focused. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins, smooth and disarmingly harmonious. It fans out with confidence and delivers Oriental spices, hoisin, tobacco and black pepper on the very persistent finish. This is a superb Quinta do Noval."
"Simply gorgeous"
Wine Advocate (95+ ) - September 11, 2020 “Simply gorgeous, this is aromatic, chock-full of flavor and wholly delicious—but that’s just the starting point. It has a serious backbone too, perfectly countered by the mid-palate depth. More than lovely, it might well be my favorite of the 2018s I’ve seen thus far, if I were forced to pick just one. It is surprisingly accessible, in a way, but that’s because the mid-palate soaks up the power. It was certainly still vibrant days later. It should age well.”
"Full of black cherry and spice flavors"
Wine Enthusiast - October 20, 2020 "While this vintage was not generally declared as such by the major Port houses, it has produced some very fine wines. This wine, still very young, is dry in style, full of black cherry and spice flavors along with intense acidity."
"Juicy and muscular"
Wine Spectator - January 20, 2021 "Juicy and muscular, with a ball of plum paste, warmed fig compote and black currant reduction flavors that need time to unwind. Ample graphite- and bramble-accented grip underscores the fruit on the finish, while a ganache note finds room to strut its stuff in the end. Should be one of the longer-lived wines of the vintage."
"Satin-like texture"
Vinous - November 2, 2022 "The 2018 Vintage Port from Noval, picked from 5 September, has a really lovely bouquet with black plum and cassis fruit, still with that faint tincture of fireside hearth, concentrated and supremely well focused. This is the most "vinous" recent vintage insofar that it veers away from a fortified wine. The palate has a satin-like texture on the entry, a little spicier than the 2019, hints of black pepper, graphite, clove and allspice, very harmonious and poised on the graphite-tinged finish. Excellent." - N.M 11/2
"Fresh dark berries"
James Suckling - January 19, 2023 "This has an attractive nose with fresh dark berries, grilled herbs, chocolate and wet stones. Hints of kirsch, too. Full-bodied with moderate sweetness and an array of fine, marble-polished tannins. Lively, almost crunchy dark fruit character with so much finesse and delicacy. Long finish." J.S 1/23
"Fabulous stuff"
Jeb Dunnuck - February 10, 2023 "The 2018 Vintage Port is fabulous stuff and has a quintessential bouquet of spiced berries, cassis, fresh plum, Asian spices, and dried flowers. More about elegance, finesse, and complexity than sheer power (especially when compared to the 2020s), it's medium to full-bodied and nicely focused on the palate, with perfect balance between its fruit, sugar, and alcohol. Brought up in old wood tanks and bottled with 100 grams of residual sugar, it already offers pleasure, particularly with lots of air (I followed this bottle for three days), but I suspect it will have 40 years or more of overall longevity given its remarkable purity and balance." J.D 2/23
Reviews
More on Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2018
Quinta Do Noval 2018 Vintage Port with Christian Seely
May 28, 2020 - Christian Seely, managing director of Quinta do Noval for the past 27 years, introduces the 2018 Vintage Port. [embed]https://vimeo.com/415545555#t=36s[/embed] https://vimeo.com/425213974
Quinta do Noval Declares 2019 Port Vintage
May 28, 2020 - Decanter reported that Quinta do Noval has declared three ports from the 2019 vintage, including its famed "Nacional." As for the extremely small production Nacional, produced from a small parcel…
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
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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
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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
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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.