Been a while since I've visited the site. Thanks to Roy for smacking me up-side the head to get me back here.
Just wondering if anyone has seen this available anywhere? I recall looking for it late last year but couldn't find it so thought it might be too soon. I figure by now it's been seen somewhere? Unfortunately I don't see anything on wine-searcher and the QdN website only shows the 98 lbv.
Is there a possiblity that a 2000 LBV from Noval won't be released?
If I recall correctly, the rules around an LBV say that you can keep the wine in wood for up to 6 years. If Noval were to take a 2000 LBV to its limit, this would mean that the 2000 LBV would not be released until late this year.
As a constructive suggestion, try an email or phone call to Noval's agents in the US (William Grant & Sons Inc, 1 732 225 9000) and see if they can tell you of any plans for the LBV.
With a quick google search I seem to have found it on the website of a shop in Lisbon with the notation "This product was added to our catalog on Monday 12 June, 2006."
So perhaps it was just released, in which case your query was quite timely, remarkably so. Next question is, how long will it take to reach our shores.
According to the 2002 legislation, LBV's from the 2000 vintage must be bottled between July 1st 2004 and December 31st 2006.
If they are to be sold as 'bottle matured' then they must spend at least 3 years in bottle, so could not be released until July next year at the earliest.
However, it is possible to market unfiltered LBV as soon as it is bottled (provided it does not claim to be 'bottle matured')
With the inclusion of filtered LBV (which does not significantly develop in the bottle) there are three permitted styles:
Filtered
Unfiltered
Unfiltered and bottle matured
The term 'traditional' may no longer be used.
Wine merchants may already have stocks of the 2000 LBV even though they are listing the '98 or '99 - few are diligent when it comes to updating their web pages at the lower end of the price spectrum!
And the IVDP is probably very happy with the way they "simplified" matters with that rule
I think most people agreed that it provided some necessary clarification and definition, without forcing shippers to radically change their product range.
There are good arguments for having both filtered and unfiltered LBV - more serious drinkers appreciate the benefits of non-filtration, but the convenience of sediment free wine counts for a lot with many consumers, not least the catering trade.
The option of holding it for three years and then adding the cachet 'bottle matured' settled a dispute over when unfiltered wine should be sent to market with a sensible compromise.
I understand all that, and appreciate the regulation from the producer's point of view, but for the average consumer it is all highly confusing. More so, because the average retailer also has a hard time understanding all the different types of port, let alone being able to explain it to his clientele.
What is really needed is for the shippers to engage in a little collective publicity for the product.
Do a web search to try and find an industry promotional page, and you'll draw a blank - yet it doesn't cost much to arrange!
Too many wine merchants don't understand the product range themselves. A little leaflet, non-brand specific, that be could printed in large quantities and given out freely to retailers and supermarkets - maybe titled 'Discover Port' - to educate the trade and consumers alike, not only about the different styles, but also when and how to drink them.
If there's anyone out there in VNG or the Factory House reading this, I'll draft it (and the web site) for free if all the Factory House members promise to send me a case of the 2005 vintage (or 2006 if you defer a year)
To simplify my question, the Noval LBV I'm looking for is unfiltered. The '99 unfiltered appeared sometime summer/fall last year in the US as far as I can tell, and since we tend to get things a little later than most, I figured someone might have seen it elsewhere. Thanks for the responses! I think I just need to have some patience and I'll probably see it on the shelves later this summer in prep for the fall.
