1985 Quinta do Noval

The beautiful Quinta do Noval is undoubtedly the most famous port producer, largely because their 1931 and 1927 were to vintage port what the 1947 Cheval Blanc and 1945 Mouton-Rothschild were to the Bordeaux trade - divine, monumental wines of extraordinary depth of flavor. Also, the Quinta do Noval produces a rare vintage port from a small vineyard of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines called Nacional. It is so rare that I have never seen, much less tasted, a bottle of what is supposedly a great port. However, the truth of the matter is that recent vintages of Quinta do Noval have not been nearly as impressive as they should be. Commentators have described the wines as light, elegant, and charming when in fact they lack richness and depth of flavor. The 1985 is quite concentrated, seductive, and amazingly delicious now, and it should mature quite quickly. The finish is long and flavorful, but I wonder about the lack of tannic structure to this wine.

Very good, but seems a little stalky. It should come together with time. Medium ruby-purple, with a plum nose, full-bodied, with concentrated plum flavors, full tannins and a long finish. – James Suckling , Wine Spectator 1989

The beautiful Quinta do Noval is undoubtedly the most famous port producer, largely because their 1931 and 1927 were to vintage port what the 1947 Cheval Blanc and 1945 Mouton-Rothschild were to the Bordeaux trade - divine, monumental wines of extraordinary depth of flavor. Also, the Quinta do Noval produces a rare vintage port from a small vineyard of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines called Nacional. It is so rare that I have never seen, much less tasted, a bottle of what is supposedly a great port. However, the truth of the matter is that recent vintages of Quinta do Noval have not been nearly as impressive as they should be. Commentators have described the wines as light, elegant, and charming when in fact they lack richness and depth of flavor. The 1985 is quite concentrated, seductive, and amazingly delicious now, and it should mature quite quickly. The finish is long and flavorful, but I wonder about the lack of tannic structure to this wine. Jan 1989, www.robertparker.com