1997 Quinta do Noval LBV Port

[Todd Pettinger]

Noval Late Bottled Vintage Port [1997 b. 2001]
A small sample at lunch from the local fine wine shop where I had stopped to pick up a present, this bottle was in pristine condition, having been in the fine wine locked cooler that the owners get to store their own personal stuff in along with the really expensive fine wines, Champagnes, Ports, etc.

Pop n poured, it was showing fine out of the bottle, with minimal decant time. A thick crusting of sediment lay on the side of the bottle, but seemed concentrated in the neck. I have seen less sediment in some bottles of VP.

Exhibiting a fine nose directly out of the bottle, we consumed a couple of tastes over 30 minutes or so. Dark ruby red, this showed a concentration of grapes and cherries. Cocoa showed up in the mid-palate, which is something typical of most Noval Ports that I have tried and which makes me love them again and again. Concentration and some complexity was present. It certainly won’t rival a massive blockbuster of a VP, but would definitely hold its own beside many lesser VPs, in fact, served blind, I am betting that a lot of people would be fooled.

After 30 minutes this wine was really starting to shine and I was saddened to have to leave to go back to work.

Sadly, the store sells only half bottles of this (although the owner’s bottle was a 750.) I would love to get my hands on this in 750 format for myself. A case of this would disappear rapidly as this is drinking phenomenally!

This score is representative of the fact that this is such a great example of an LBV – it is more highly ranked in my mind than many VPs. I love this stuff and would proudly rate it

94+ pts