Quinta do Noval, Vintage Port 2000

The 2000 Quinta Do Noval Vintage 96 is much stricter on the nose compared to the 1997 with very pure blackberry, boysenberry and blueberry fruit mixed with cigar box and flinty scents. It does not quite have the presence of the 1997 but it has focus and breeding and, wow, leave it aside for several minutes and it repays you with intoxicating candied orange peel scents.

The palate is medium-bodied, rounded and sensual on the entry with mint, orange peel, fig skin and white pepper. This is a sensational millennial Noval with the temerity to surpass the Nacional.

Drink 2015 - 2040

The saturated blue/purple/black-coloured 2000 Vintage Port reveals a distinctive bouquet of graphite, creme de cassis liqueur, liquorice, and spice. Sweet tannin, full body, and outstanding concentration provide an impressive entry on the palate. Notions of chocolate make an appearance in the long finish of this sweet, lush, precocious effort.

Drink 2008 - 2030

A cold, wet spring led to a small crop which ripened well over a long, hot summer, leading to a general declaration. This is deep at the centre, just turning on the rim. It has a rather ugly nose that’s hot, leathery and demure, and it’s similarly ungainly on the palate initially, with rich, savoury fruit emerging on the mid-palate with a powerful tannic grip. It’s possibly still going through a difficult adolescent phase, needing a few more years to emerge.

Drink 2023 - 2050