2022 Quinta do Noval
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Tasting notes
The 2022 Vintage Port was produced with a field blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa and Sousão, a selection of the best lots from different plots in the property. For this vintage, seven plots were used from the Pinhão Valley and one from the Roncão Valley, a property they purchased behind Noval, a very powerful place. It was produced in the traditional way: foot trodden in the stone lagars and matured in oak casks for 18 months in the acclimatized cellars in the property in the Douro Valley. It has 19.5% alcohol, with a pH of 3.61 and 89 grams of sugar. This is very tannic and concentrated, with noticeable sweetness, with a big structure. It's quite powerful, a little foursquare, 31,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2024.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Full bottle 1,311 g. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Sousão and old-vine field blends. This year's blend is made up of seven different lots from the Pinhão Valley and one from the Roncão Valley. Foot-trodden in lagares and then aged 18 months in wooden casks at the quinta in their air-conditioned cellar. It was an early harvest that started on 25 August but lasted until 27 September thanks to a pause in the harvest when it rained 12–14 September. RS 89 g/l, pH 3.61, TA 4.6 g/l. Very dark with vibrant purple rim. Black core. Intense aroma of ripe but not in the least overripe black, blue and dark-red fruit – blueberry, blackberry and mulberry – pulled back from over-sweetness by a dark, lightly floral and rocky Douro impression. Aromas of crushed rock dust and the wild plants of the region such as esteva ( Cistus ladanifer ). It is sweet, of course, but the tannins and the freshness, along with that herbal/floral character, bring a counterpoint, as does the thickly chalky (not chewy) texture. Long, smooth finish. Powerful and elegant. One of those vintage ports you might be tempted to drink now even though it has the high alcohol of a fortified wine and has a long life ahead. (JH)
Starting with the 2022 Vintage Port, this beauty sports a dense purple hue as well as a blockbuster styled array of jammy blackberry, plums, sandalwood, baking spices, and a kiss of chocolate. It shows the warmer style of the vintage, yet there's nothing roasted or over-ripe, and it has remarkable purity, full-bodied richness, a stacked mid-palate, and velvety tannins. It's much more approachable and voluptuous compared to the Nacional and has a beautiful elegance and seamlessness that makes it hard to resist even today. For the tech geeks out there, the 2022 checks in as 19.5% alcohol, 89 grams per liter of residual sugar, 4.6 total acidity, and a pH of 3.61. It's going to require a decade to start to show some secondary aromatics, and it will have 40 years at a minimum of prime drinking. While the Nacional gets all the attention, don't miss this.
The 2022 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port was trodden by foot in concrete lagares and spent 18 months in wooden casks. This bursts forth on the nose: black cherries, raspberry coulis, licorice, cigar humidor and light pine touches. Wonderful delineation and focus. The palate is very well balanced with superb definition. Pure black fruit is judiciously spiced, with hints of Christmas cake, black pepper and outstanding cohesion on the finish. At 2,600 cases of twelve, this is a relatively larger declaration compared to recent vintages, indicative of Christian Seely's belief in the vintage.