Quinta do Noval 2024

The 2024 Vintage Port represents just 7.64% of the production this year. Picked from ten parcels between September 4 and October 11, with two spells of showers in between, it is foot-trodden and vinified in granite lagares and matured for 18 months in oak cask at the Quinta. This is definitely more intense than the Passadour '24, with upfront scents of plum jam, pressed violets, almost giving it a souped-up Margaux-like allure, clove and dark chocolate. Wonderful delineation. The palate is sweet, playful on the entry. There is just the right density to this Noval, just a little granular in texture, an underlying sour cherry element that imparts tension. Finely chiselled tannins, this Vintage Port had beguiling symmetry, with a sustained finish featuring black pepper and clove. What a gorgeous Noval this is going to be. 2035-2060.

18 months in barrel. TA 4.5 g/l, pH 3.64, RS 98 g/l.

Black core with narrow purple rim. Pure fruit bomb of black and blue fruit with a sort of biscuity sweetness. That initial impression gives way to a darker and more brooding layer, more dusty/rocky Douro. Immense power and elegance combined. Essence of vintage port. The tannins are dense yet so fine, they glide. Perfect balance. 2034 – 2074.