Day 4
After a quick breakfast at our apartment, we packed our luggage and went on to perform our daily routine: the van tetris!
We’re starting to be pretty good at this by now.
All we had to do was navigate these teeny tiny streets of the old town and we’d finally be on our way to Douro!
Our first stop for the day was at Quinta do Noval at 11:30. However, we left early enough so we had enough time to do some quick photo stops at any picturesque spots that might come our way. Fortunately we were prepared!
These terraced vineyards that rise on both sides of the Douro river are mighty impressive.
I mean just come on.
It’s very difficult to capture the steepness and ridiculous elevations you see everywhere, but hopefully these pictures give you some idea.
After a 90-minute drive from Viseu, we finally arrived at the town of Pinhão, located on the bank of Douro. However, we didn’t stop there, as Quinta do Noval is situated a few kilometers north from Pinhão. And also a few hundred meters up - the winery is actually located an impressive 250 m (+800 ft) above the Pinhão river, a tributary of Douro.
Arriving to the winery from the southern side, we were greeted not just by magnificent views, but also by a beautiful pergola tunnel and roses.
And I have to admit, Quinta do Noval might just be the winery with the most stunning views in the world - probably a few select wineries in Santorini might be the only real challengers!
How many wineries can boast views like this? (From here you can see the bend in Douro (which flows behind those hills from left to right) in which the Pinhão river (flowing from the lower right corner) joins it.)
After driving the narrow pergola road to the winery, we were welcomed by our guide Joana Ferreira, who would normally work as the Noval shop manager in Pinhão, but was today waiting for us under the huge old cedar tree growing right in front of the winery building and its chapel (naturally you have your own chapel at the winery!).
This huge cedar grows in front of the winery (and gives the name to the Cedro range of Noval wines).
This is partially what Joana explained to us during the visit and partially what I knew beforehand from different sources:
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Noval is not only one of the greatest Port shippers, but it is also one of the oldest existing producers of Port, having been in operation since 1715 - for more than three full centuries! They own 192 hectares (480 acres) of vineyards, all graded as A class. Formerly the planted vineyard size was around 145 hectares, but it grew into its current size after the purchase of the neighboring Quinta do Passadouro in 2019. The production typically comes only from estate vineyards, but they might also purchase fruit when the situation calls for it. The vineyard altitudes range from the river bench level (100 m asl) all the way to the top of the hills (500 m asl).
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In addition to the vineyards, Noval has also approximately 30 hectares (75 acres) of olive trees, from which they produce olive oil.
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Due to the 1927 entreposto, a Salazar regulation which mandated that all exports of Port wine had to originate from a specified part in Vila Nova de Gaia, Quinta do Noval had their own lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia as well. However, this regulation was lifted when Portugal joined the EU and exports could be shipped from Douro as well, which meant several producers moved their entire operation back to Douro. Quinta do Noval was the first major shipper to age, blend, bottle and store their wines in Douro - since the late 1990’s all Noval operations have been run from their current location, north of Pinhão.
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Quinta do Noval is considered to have been in a rut during the 1970’s and 1980’s; the quality of winemaking had started to deteriorate and the vineyards were allowed to run down. However, things started to return back to their former glory once the French insurance group AXA purchased Quinta do Noval in 1993. Under the new ownership the vineyards have been tended back to good health and the winemaking has been brought to modern day without modernizing too much of the production - winemaking at Quinta do Noval is still very traditional compared to many of their peers.
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One of the noticeable changes in the vineyards was a change from old interplanted vineyards to varietal plantings: with interplanted vineyards there could be too much variation, some early-ripening varieties reaching complete ripeness a full month before the late-ripening varieties. Varieties considered lesser varieties in Port production were removed and replaced with varieties considered to be of higher quality: mainly Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz, but also with Touriga Franca, Sousão, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão. This way the varieties could be picked at optimum ripeness and it was easier to control the flow of incoming grapes at the winery.
While we were gazing at the vineyards I asked Joana if we could see the famous Nacional vineyard from where we were standing. She said that we couldn’t, but we could go and see the vineyards - it is located right behind the winery building!
Lo and behold - here it really was! Arguably the most famous single vineyard in Douro was just round the corner (and several dozen steps up)! Also take note: almost all the vineyard posts here in Douro aren’t wood, but long spars of schist!
I must admit: appearance-wise Nacional isn’t particularly impressive - it looked just like any other vineyard we could see and the tiny metal label that said NACIONAL was the only thing that told us there was something special here.
Joana told us that the Nacional vineyard extended some way after the bend in the terrace and consisted of this and the neighboring terrace above the one on which we were standing. Although I’ve seen the vineyard occasionally described as 2-hectare (5-acre) or even 2,4-hectare (6-acre) parcel of pre-phylloxeric vines, Joana told us that the size is about 1,6 to 1,7 hectares (4 to 4,2 acres) consisting of just 6000 vines. Furthermore, the wines are not pre-phylloxeric - only ungrafted. For reasons unknown, this parcel that was originally planted in 1925 to ungrafted vines, was never attacked by the phylloxera. Joana explained that the soil in the parcel is no different from any of the surrounding parcels and nothing has been done to protect the vineyard - for unexplained reasons, it just remains louse-free.
Furthermore, the vineyard isn’t pre-phylloxeric (which would mean the vineyard was planted before the arrival of phylloxera in the late 19th century). Although several very old vines remain, new vines are planted (ungrafted) whenever an old vine dies, and the average vine age is about 40 years. The name Nacional comes from the fact that the vineyard is planted to local varieties that grow on their own roots - not grafted to “international” rootstocks.
Joana told us that Nacional behaves very differently from the other Noval vineyards. In some vintages the overall quality in the estate vineyards might be lacking, yet Nacional could be singing. Or vice versa: some vintages might be simply perfect and the quality is excellent everywhere, yet Nacional would produce fruit of only middling quality. What really surprised me was that Nacional is never blended with any other wines. As Nacional is often a very unique expression of Noval vineyards, it is always vinified AND BOTTLED separately! This means that Nacional is produced in every vintage - but it is released only in vintages that the winery considers to be of high enough quality. In vintages in which Nacional is not considered to be up to par, it is not released, but instead kept at the winery for special occasions.
After we had wondered the Nacional vineyard for a good few moments, we went to see the winery. We passed under these pergolas and Joana told us that they are among some of the oldest vines in the Noval vineyards. She also told that they are not only for the looks - come the harvest time, all the pergolas are harvested as well!
Joana explained that only Port wines were made at this winery. The dry table wines - which make up about 30% of the total production at Quinta do Noval - were vinified at that new facility lower in the valley, below the main Quinta do Noval winery.
The winemaking is still pretty traditional at Quinta do Noval: the sorted grapes arriving at the winery are moved into granite lagares (which are naturally scrubbed thoroughly clean right before the harvest). In place of the traditional, large lagares, Quinta do Noval now uses these smaller lagares which are much better for vinifying the wines parcel by parcel and variety by variety. Once the grapes are in lagares, they are foot-trodden in the traditional way over the course of several hours during the night.
This automatic robo-treader can be employed when the wines call for additional extraction.
The crushed must starts to ferment spontaneously (typically aided by the temperature boost from the people stomping the grapes), after which the fermenting must is monitored closely. When the wine has fermented enough (ie. the amount of sugar in the must is about 90-100 g/l), the wine is drained into these vats which are partly filled with aguardente. The level of alcohol in the blend of must and distillate reaches 19-21% ABV, arresting the fermentation. Then the wine is moved either into stainless steel or concrete tanks, balseiros (huge oak vats), toneis (large oak casks) or pipes (smaller oak barrels) that are normally of 640 liters at Quinta do Noval. The wines deemed suitable for making Tawny or Colheita go into pipes, all the other wines go into larger casks or tanks.
Joana told us that treading the grapes is normally a rather tiring task: it really takes hours and hours, and you need to raise your feet quite high in the sticky must when you’re treading in order to crush all the fruit completely. Furthermore, the grape must is an incredibly potent dye: typically your legs are deeply colored for weeks after the harvest!
Some concrete tanks and toneis in the cellar.
Some more toneis
Another interesting fact was that as all the Vintage Ports made at Quinta do Noval are made exclusively from the estate’s own vineyards surrounding the property, Quinta do Noval is the only producer whose Vintage Port is also a Single-Quinta Vintage Port*! This means that unlike other Port shippers, Quinta do Noval can release a Vintage Port in every single vintage - instead of producing a Vintage Port only in exceptional vintages, Noval opts to make a rigorous selection and the quality of the vintage dictates how much wine is produced: in lesser vintages the production can be tiny and in great vintages a larger amount of Vintage Port gets produced. When there’s enough of excepional-quality fruit, Noval makes a more affordable version of their Vintage Port; Silval - a sort of baby version of their VP. They’ve also made another Single-Quinta Vintage Port - Quinta do Marco - a few times in their history. However, to my understanding, 1999 is the most recent vintage of this bottling.
*To those who don’t know what this distinction means: normally Port shippers make Vintage Port by blending only the very best fruit from all their vineyards and these wines are released only in declared vintages. However, these so-called Single-Quinta Vintage Ports can be made in any vintage the producer wants to and they are made exclusively from the estate-owned vineyards surrounding the Quinta, or “farm”. These wines are labeled with the Quinta name and as they are normally made in un-declared vintages, they are typically somewhat lesser wines that are still Vintage Ports, but made for earlier consumption and priced at more affordable prices than the “true” Vintage Ports. However, Quinta do Noval Vintage Port is a noticeable exception to this rule.
After we had toured the winery, it was time to taste some of the Quinta do Noval wines!
We tasted through one Noval table wine and a selection of their Port wines - unfortunately no bottles of Nacional were opened for our group!
- 2020 Quinta do Noval Douro Reserva - Portugal, Douro (24.4.2024)
The flagship dry red in the Quinta do Noval range. Made exclusively from the best grapes of the vintage. According to the tech sheet, the wine is a blend of Touriga Nacional (60%) and a field blend from the old vineyards, but at the winery we were told the wine is today mostly a blend of Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca with a small portion of field blend from the old vineyards. Fermented spontaneously in stainless steel vats, macerated with the skins for 8 days, aged for 12 months in 225-liter French oak barriques (40% new, 60% 2nd use). 15,5% alcohol, 1 g/l residual sugar, 5,7 g/l acidity and pH 3,55.
Dense, inky-opaque blackish-red color with a youthful blueish hue. The nose feels powerful, expressive and dark-toned with vibrant aromas of ripe bilberries, some plummy tones, a little bit of toasty oak spice, light stony mineral notes, hints of coffee and vanilla and a touch of alcohol. The wine feels dense, concentrated and quite robust on the palate with a full body and intense, dry flavors of ripe dark fruits and extracted wood spice, some bittersweet notes of dark chocolate, a little bit of boysenberry, light peppery tones, juicy hints of dark plums and fresh blueberries and a touch of toasty mocha oak. The overall feel is pretty tightly-knit with the rather high acidity and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is long, rather grippy and somewhat hot with a dry, robust aftertaste of ripe dark fruits and sweet toasty oak spice, some blueberry tones, a little bit of extracted woody bitterness, light juicy notes of boysenberries and dark plums, hints of peppery tones, cloves and exotic spice and touch of stony minerality. The high alcohol makes the wine end on a somewhat hot note.
A very bold, robust and still way too young Douro red that is mere a baby now. The oaky tones are still very much to the fore, showing very little integration, making the overall feel still somewhat clumsy. This is definitely a powerhouse you need to age - it is not meant for immediate consumption. Of course you CAN drink it right away - the wine isn't shut down or undrinkably tough at the moment - it just feels like the wine is still miles away from its apogee and you're missing a ton of its potential if opened now. However, I'm worried about the high alcohol here - the wine felt rather hot at the moment, and I doubt this will change with any amount of cellaring. Although this wine will get much better with additional aging, it feels like a wine that performs much better in cooler vintages when the level of alcohol might remain at a more reasonable level. Feels a bit pricey at 55,50€, but most likely this will change as the wine ages and evolves.
(90 points) - NV Quinta do Noval Porto Noval Black - Portugal, Douro, Porto (24.4.2024)
This bottling, introduced in 2010, is step up from the Quinta do Noval Fine Ruby. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão and Sousão, a part of which coming from the Noval vineyards, the remainder coming from A-rated vineyards in Douro. A part of the wine is vinified with foot-treading in the traditional lagares, the remainder in stainless steel vats with pump-overs. The wine is blended from multiple vintages that have been aged in stainless steel tanks and the average age of the blend is today approximately 6 years. 19,5% alcohol.
Dense blackish color with faint reddish and purplish highlights. The brooding nose feels surprisingly savory and earthy with light aromas of blueberries, some dark plummy tones, a little bit of savory spices, light boozy notes of alcohol and a hint of aguardente. The wine feels sweet, somewhat fruity and a bit savory on the palate with a full body and brooding flavors of blueberries, some plummy tones, a little bit of ripe boysenberry, light earthy tones, a hint of savory spices and a touch of raw cacao. The wine is medium in acidity with ripe, somewhat grippy medium tannins. The finish is warm, sweet and somewhat grippy with a medium-long aftertaste of blueberries, some plummy tones, a little bit of boysenberry, light earthy tones, a hint of savory spices and a touch of cacao nibs.
A surprisingly serious and relatively savory Ruby Reserve with a somewhat dull and earthy nose. Fortunately the wine seemed more expressive and fruity on the palate. However, we were explained that this was supposed to be a less fruity and more savory expression of Ruby Port: the entry-level Fine Ruby is a wine to be served on its own, whereas this Black - with its less sweet, more savory tones - was a wine that would go better with dark chocolate or Port cocktails. Understandable. Although an enjoyably serious effort for a Ruby Reserve, I wasn't particularly enamored by this wine - at least when tasted on its own. Maybe I just need to see how it performs in a cocktail! Perhaps a tad pricey for the quality at 19,95€.
(87 points) - 2018 Quinta do Noval Porto Late Bottled Vintage Unfiltered - Portugal, Douro, Porto (24.4.2024)
A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão and Sousão sourced from the Quinta do Noval vineyards in Pinhão. Vinified exactly like the Noval Vintage Port - treading by foot in granite lagares, arresting the fermentation at 19,5% ABV by fortification and moving the wine to age in large oak casks - but when the Vintage Ports are bottled after 18-24 months of aging, the wines destined for this LBV are left to age for another three years. This wine was bottled unfiltered (unlike most LBVs) in October 2023, at the age of five years. 19,5% alcohol, 90g/l residual sugar, 4,7 g/l acidity and pH 3,54.
Dense, fully opaque blackish-red color. The nose feels fragrant, somewhat floral and slightly earthy with aromas of ripe blackberries and dark plums, some perfumed violet tones, a little bit of licorice root and a boozy hint of aguardente. The wine feels sweet, nuanced and quite youthful on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of dark berries and blueberry jam, some raisiny and pruney tones, a little bit of dried dates, light sweet notes of ripe black cherries, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of juicy boysenberry. The wine is high in acidity with quite firm and pretty grippy tannins and the high alcohol lends some obvious heat to the palate. The finish is long, hot and grippy with an intense aftertaste of boysenberries and blueberry jam, some cherry marmalade tones, a little bit of raisiny dark fruit, light peppery tones, a floral hint of violets and a touch of gravelly earth.
Quinta do Noval's Unfiltered LBV is consistently one of the absolutely best LBVs out there and this vintage is not an exception to this rule. Impressive structure, wonderful intensity of fruit and surprising sense of freshness, given the sweetness and the volume of the wine. The nose is maybe a bit understated and less fruity than I expected, but on the palate the wine performs exactly as anticipated. The overall feel is still quite young, pretty stern and rather tightly-knit, which means that this wine isn't really ready to drink now - even if the idea of LBV is to give an opportunity to drink LBV while the VPs are still aging! This really isn't an LBV, but more like a wine between an LBV and a Vintage Port. I'd recommend to let this wine age for at least a handful of years more, because these unfiltered LBVs are some of the few LBVs that can actually evolve and improve with age. Outstanding value at 23,50€.
(92 points) - 2012 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage - Portugal, Douro, Porto (24.4.2024)
Mainly a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinto Cão; all fruit sourced from the Noval estate vineyards in Pinhão. The fruit is trodden by foot in granite lagares, then the fermentation is arrested at 19,5% ABV by fortification and the wine is moved to age in large oak casks. This wine was bottled unfiltered in 2014, at the age of approximately two years. Lot L4192. 19,5% alcohol, 89 g/l residual sugar, 4,6 g/l acidity and pH 3,78.
Dense, completely opaque blackish-red color. The nose feels youthful, fragrant and very dark-toned with aromas of bilberries and some black cherries, light floral tones of violets and elderflowers, a little bit of savory meaty character, a hint of licorice root and a touch of dusty old wood. The wine feels clean, sweet and youthful on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and rich, intense flavors of blueberries and boysenberries, some wizened black cherries, a little bit of stony minerality, light floral notes of violets, a hint of sun-baked dusty earth and a touch of savory spices. The tannins feel ample yet relatively ripe and friendly, lending good firmness to the texture without making the wine feel tough or aggressively tannic. The structure relies more on the acidity, which feels surprisingly high for a Vintage Port. The finish is rich, sweet yet savory and moderately grippy with a long, intense aftertaste of blueberries, some cherry marmalade, light floral notes of violets and elderflowers, a little bit of savory spice, a juicy hint of succulent dark plum and a savory touch of meaty character.
A wonderfully fresh and still remarkably youthful Vintage Port that feels relatively light and delicate for the style, emphasizing more freshness and vibrancy of fruit than muscular power and concentration. Tasting this after the 2018 Noval Unfiltered LBV, I felt this VP showed less body, structure and fruit in comparison. While neither wine didn't seem like a wine that is yet ready, I felt that this VP was slightly more approachable now, due to its somewhat lighter overall feel and less assertive tannins. However, even if this wine might be more accessible now, I also feel that this wine still holds much more potential for the future: while this VP might be less impressive now, I have no doubts it will age wonderfully for many more years, most likely ending up being a better wine with enough cellaring. The 2012 vintage might never be a stellar year for Vintage Ports, this Noval VP is still a delicious example of VP combining fruit and intensity with freshness and elegance. Not particularly affordable at 172,60€ from the winery, but still very fine stuff all the same.
(91 points) - NV Quinta do Noval Porto 10 Year Old Tawny - Portugal, Douro, Porto (24.4.2024)
A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz from different vineyards in Douro. The wine is blended from different vintages that have been aging in old oak pipes, resulting in a blend with an average age of 10 years. The wine was bottled in 2023. 19,5% alcohol.
Medium-deep cherry-red color with an oxidative maroon hue. Although the wine is a Tawny Port, the nose is still pretty red-toned with aromas of wizened cherries, some cooked strawberry tones ,a little bit of pruney dark fruit, light boozy notes of aguardente, a nutty hint of oxidation and a touch of ripe red plum. The wine feels sweet, soft and mellow on the palate with a full body and rich, somewhat evolved flavors of wizened cherries and prunes, some oxidative nutty tones, a little bit of cooked strawberry, light boozy notes of aguardente, a hint of Bassett's black wine gum and a touch of molasses. The overall feel is a bit round and ponderous as the wine is only medium in acidity and there isn't really any tannic grip to lend firmness to the palate. The finish is rich, sweet and rather long with a slightly sticky aftertaste of wizened black cherries and cooked strawberries, some pruney tones, a little bit of ripe red plum, light oxidative notes of chopped nuts, a hint of molasses and a touch of boozy aguardente. The high alcohol makes the wine end on a rather warm note.
I love Tawny Ports, but usually they have to be at least 20 years old before they offer anything of real interest. This was a pleasant effort, but still way too red-toned in character for my preference - instead of showing that nutty caramel goodness I look for in Tawny Ports, this was more about tired red fruit flavors and prunes. Furthermore, the overall feel was rather soft and a bit flabby, wanting in freshness and structure. Although the Noval wines are fantastic in the higher tiers of quality, to me, this 10 yo Tawny isn't a big step up in quality from regular non-age designated Tawny Ports. Priced somewhat according to its quality at 27,50€.
(88 points) - NV Quinta do Noval Porto 20 Year Old Tawny - Portugal, Douro, Porto (24.4.2024)
A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Sousão and Tinta Roriz from different vineyards in Douro. The wine is blended from different vintages that have been aging in old oak pipes, resulting in a blend with an average age of 20 years. The wine was bottled in 2023. 21% alcohol.
Luminous, medium-deep amber color with a faint reddish hue. The nose feels sweet, expressive and complex with rich aromas of dried figs, some caramel tones, a little bit of oxidative nuttiness, light fragrant nuances of arrack, dried-fruit hints of prunes and Sultana raisins and a touch of orange marmalade. The wine feels sweet, nuanced and complex on the palate with a full body and rich flavors of syrupy molasses and orange marmalade, some dusty old wood tones, a little bit of nutty rancio, light dried-fruit notes of Sultana raisins and prunes, a hint of dried fig and a touch of exotic spices. The wine is moderately high in acidity with a tiniest bit of tannic grip adding to the sense of firmness. The finish is rich, long and wonderfully nuanced with a sweet aftertaste of brown sugar and molasses, some oxidative notes of nutty rancio, a little bit of caramel, light dusty old wood tones, dried-fruit hints of Sultana raisins and dried figs and a touch of arrack.
A beautiful, delicious 20 yo Tawny with good sense of concentration, freshness and complexity. This wine seems somewhat weightier and more intense compared to my previous taste of the wine (11½ years ago!) - I guess higher temperatures in Douro might've something to do with this? All in all, a lovely and delicious effort. However, the price is getting a bit out of hand - 11 years ago this wine was 45€, but this time 86,50€. I understand the prices go up with time, but almost double the price in a span of time where other wines of similar quality have gone up only 5-10€? Even if I love this wine, that's a bit too steep for me.
(92 points)
All in all, the wines - especially at the higher-tier range - are simply wonderful. Unsurprisingly, all the wines (apart from the Tawnies) were just super young and in dire need of additional aging; at this point you can only get a glimpse of their potential, not the full extent of their greatness. However, I was still surprised how remarkably well their “lowly” Unfiltered LBV performed next to the VP! I’ve always loved the Noval Unfiltered LBV, but now, tasting it as a part of their range, I could see how it is in a class of its own when it comes to LBVs! I’m sure the 2012 VP will surpass it in due time, but for more immediate consumption, that LBV offers some exceptional bang for the buck!
When we asked if we needed to go to the Noval shop in Pinhão to buy these wines, but we were told that there was a cellar door shop also at the property, to which we were guided after we had tasted the wines.
After we had made our purchases, we thanked for the absolutely fantastic visit and left the winery - this time via the “front” road (which is that tiny dirt road going under that famous cedar tree).
Exiting Quinta do Noval - of the dozens of Noval terraces, this one with the white wall is the one that ends either at the winery or the major road that passes the Noval estate. A handy guide, considering how vast the estate is!
Before we continued to our next visit, we stopped for a lunch at Veladouro, in Pinhão. I went for a delicious grilled tuna.
