Noval’s Vintage Port is a single-quinta wine, the grapes passing a strict selection program from Noval’s own vineyards on the slopes of Douro’s Cavadinha tributary. The 2020 vintage marks the 10th Port declaration in a row for Quinta do Noval, and this year’s declaration represents only seven per cent of the estate’s entire production. Each year, the blending proportions for the Vintage Port will vary depending on those varieties which performed best. The 2020 is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Sousão, and Tinta Roriz (very little Touriga Francesa was used in 2020)—all foot-trodden in temperature-controlled granite lagares. The wine was matured for 18 months in old wooden barrels.
The vines at Noval always gift Ports of tremendous elegance and purity, traits that fit the widely declared 2020 vintage like a glove. Bottled in May 2022 with 115 grams of residual sugar, this is a profound Noval of exceptional clarity and sensual power.