1978 Quinta do Noval Vintage Coll. Case (12,14,15,16,17,18)
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Tasting notes
Looks quite old and not crystal clear. Brick notes at the rim. The muted nose has a baked quality to it (had I known there were Noval wines in this blind tasting, this would have been a massive clue to Noval wines of this era). There is no shortage of plump, ripe fruit in full flow of evolution. Slight acid and spirit coming through, however, rather than tannins though so maybe this is not constituted for the long term. Slightly inky. Hot finish. (JR)
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The beautiful Quinta do Noval is undoubtedly the most famous port producer, largely because their 1931 and 1927 were to vintage port what the 1947 Cheval Blanc and 1945 Mouton-Rothschild were to the Bordeaux trade - divine, monumental wines of extraordinary depth of flavor. Also, the Quinta do Noval produces a rare vintage port from a small vineyard of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines called Nacional. It is so rare that I have never seen, much less tasted, a bottle of what is supposedly a great port. However, the truth of the matter is that recent vintages of Quinta do Noval have not been nearly as impressive as they should be. Commentators have described the wines as light, elegant, and charming when in fact they lack richness and depth of flavor.