Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2017

Jeb Dunnuck 97/100

This is a big powerful wine with masses of tannin and big soft rounded fruit. Very smooth and well balanced with an excellent future. Noval is once again in the first division of Port houses.

The straight 2017 Vintage Port is stunning stuff. It packs serious power and richness while staying beautifully polished and, dare I say, elegant. Notes of crème de cassis and liquid blackberries define the attack, but it offers an incredibly layered, nuanced, complex style in its notes of herbes de Provence, violets, spicy wood, licorice, and Asian spice aromas and flavors. While it’s no doubt a full-bodied Port, it stands out just as much for its incredible polish, balance, and purity. This a brilliant effort is more approachable than the Nacional bottling yet is nevertheless going to evolve for 50-60 years or more on its flawless balance.