2017 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port Douro Valley Portugal 750 ml

Last year’s Quinta do Noval Vintage Port was just about perfect. The 2017 could be even better, with Vinous asking “Is this the best Quinta do Noval ever?” We know one thing for sure: It’s a 98pt masterpiece to anchor your collection for decades.

Hailing from a rare second-straight declared vintage, the 2017 Quinta do Noval earned 98 points from Wine Spectator and 97s from James Suckling, Wine Advocate, and Vinous, which suggested it might be “the best Quinta do Noval ever.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate believes the 2017 should surpass its predecessor—which the magazine called “stunning from the first smell” with its “100-point nose.” 

Port is one of the most classic styles of wine in the world—a step back in history whose practically limitless aging potential makes it a glimpse into the future as well—and the 2017 Quinta do Noval exemplifies everything we love in Port: Inky black-purple in its youth, it boasts a complex nose of sweet black cherries, pie filling, cedar, black pepper, honeycomb, and warming spirits, with grippy rustic tannins and fresh acidic lift. There’s a perfectly balanced sweetness, which leaves the impression of sweet cherries and blackberries, fresh flowers, and spice.  

One could drink this now to enjoy its youthful exuberance, but it should be entering its prime in about 20 years and will last a century when cellared properly. So whether you open it tomorrow or in a hundred years, the rewards are sure to be sublime. 

A year ago in Oporto, we sat with Quinta do Noval technical director Carlos Agrellos as history was made: All of the major Port houses declared a vintage—something that has happened only five times. No one could have dreamed that such spectacular conditions would occur twice in a row, but they did, and the 2017 vintage is now drawing comparisons to the 1945 season, which stands as one of the best ever and whose wines are still thriving.

Quinta do Noval is one of the venerable Port houses, and their vines grow on steep slopes near the small sleepy town of Pinhão, held in place by hand-built stone walls that trace the contours of the hills. Traditionally, grapes for Port production are tread by foot; incredibly, the team at Quinta do Noval was instrumental in developing a gentle mechanical method designed to mimic the human foot. The process extracts as much color and tannin as possible prior to fortification but is gentle enough as to not crush the seeds which can add bitterness. Fermentation is short and intense before the wine is fortified, retaining sweetness in the finished wine.

We’re thrilled to offer, for the second year in a row, a truly historic wine from one of the most legendary houses in Port. We recommend you tuck this collector-grade gem away for at least another four to five years, but don’t be afraid to make long-term plans for it and put it down for several decades. It’s the kind of wine that promises to reward that kind of patience in spades.