1996 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port
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Tasting notes
They were presumably in a hurry to make a statement at this stage in the AXA era and Seely admits it doesn’t have quite the finesse he'd like but it did stick out from the rest of the harvest at the time. Very dark crimson – huge intensity of colour. The vintage was quite cool towards the end. Liquorice and leather on the nose without quite the lusciousness of the 1994. Quite firm and angular on the finish. Very vigorous and leathery in texture. Very firm. (JR)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Good bright medium ruby. Slightly roasted, lower-toned aromas of cassis, chocolate, grilled nuts and botanical herbs. Like liquid velvet on entry, then firmed in the middle palate by a solid spine of acidity and an impression of strong mineral content. Still has a lot of baby fat but this also boasts buns of steel. Finishes with broad, dusty, surprisingly pliant tannins and superb length. An outstanding--and unusually outsized--wine from what Christian Seely characterized as "an LBV year."