Quinta do Noval 2015

The 2015 Vintage Port is a field blend aged for 18 months in old casks. It comes in at 94 grams per liter of residual sugar. This was a tank sample, out of barrel and the final blend, about two weeks away from bottling when tasted at Noval's lodge, but it was also retasted from bottle in the USA a short while later. Given the shipping not long after bottling, I'll still use a range, even if leaning to the higher part of it. It should be in the marketplace by the time this article appears. Lighter styled, this has an elegant mid-palate and subtle demeanor—but Noval always seems to me to emphasize mid-palate finesse. Then, there are the gloriously fresh flavors of the vintage, a year that produced fine intensity of flavor. Strongly aromatic, it also has hints of eucalyptus on the nose and/or cistus. Tightening steadily as it aired out, it demonstrated that it has that serious backbone, the firmness, I've come to expect, too. It was much more interesting about three days after it was first opened, sunnier and more expressive. The finish is long and jam-packed with delicious fruit, while the purity of that fruit is remarkable. Between its backbone and the freshness of the year, it should age well. Few will refuse a second glass of this debonair Porto at the moment, but it has a significant upside in the cellar. The fashionable trend these days is to suggest drinking Vintage Port younger and younger, but many will be happier with this around 2030-2035 or so. Admittedly, it is wonderfully delicious now. Drink 2027 - 2065.