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Quinta Do Noval - Vintage Port 2012
- Producer Quinta Do Noval
- Country Portugal
- UPC N/A
Vintage
The year 2012 was characterized by an extremely dry and cold winter, followed by a very wet spring and a dry summer. These spring rains were crucial because they came to provide the water needed for the development of the vines. These conditions have came to reduce production, but this fact coupled with the mild temperatures of spring and summer, allowed the vines to achieve an excellent maturation of the grapes. The harvest started a week later than normal. Although 2012 was a drought year, the grapes were in very good condition, with small but perfect berries that produced flavourful musts, full of freshness and good acidity.
Estate
One of the oldest port houses, Quinta do Noval is also arguably the greatest. It is unique among top port houses in that most of its ports are made from estate-grown fruit and, notably, all of the vintage Noval wines are from the single Quinta do Noval vineyard. And it is difficult to discuss Noval
with mentioning Nacional, the legendary vintage port made from a 6 acre parcel of ungrafted vines, and the most collectible and sought after port in the world. In the early 1990s, Noval changed ownership for only the second time in its three-hundred year history and began a massive program of improvements while re-committing to the traditional, and best, methods of port production.
Vinification
Following harvest, the grapes were trodden by foot and fermented in the traditional stone "lagares" of the Quinta, with temperature control at 28Âșc, where a disciplined and intense treading is fundamental for a good final result. The wine is aged for 18 months in wooden barrels.
Wine
Elegance, harmony, finesse and elegance characterize Noval's greatest Vintage Ports, which are declared only in great years (3 or 4 in a decade) and only when the wines come up to Noval's exacting standards. The wine is produced exclusively from selected plots at the Quinta, from the following grape
varieties: Touriga Nacional 70%; Touriga Franca 25 %; Tinto Cao 5 %.