What's up with 1985 Q. Do Noval
Moderators: Glenn E., Roy Hersh, Andy Velebil
What's up with 1985 Q. Do Noval
Got a half case of this a while ago, probably in the early to mid '90s. I've had 3 bottles. Seems a bit thin, but over the past 4 years it has beefed up a bit. I brought the last bottle to an OL in NYC and people really liked it. I think it's gotten quite nice, but no where in the league with the various 1977s I've had. Someone told me that Q. do Noval had some difficulties in the 1980s. Anyone know what happened?
Thanks Roy
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Jason Brandt Lewis
- Posts: 123
- Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 12:28 pm
- Location: Berkeley, California, United States of America - USA
The bottles of 1985 Quinta do Noval I've had have ranged from "OK" to "very good," but it has never been what I would call a "memorable" VintagePorto, except for its price (IIRC, it was around $12 at Trader Joe's).
Noval suffered not just problems in the 1980s, but disasters -- the biggest of which, in 1981, was a huge fire that destroyed Noval's lodge, bottling plant and offices -- all of which were in Vila Nova de Gaia at the time. (Remember that at that time all Porto had to be bottled in V.N. de Gaia.) Some 350,000 litres of Porto in cask were destroyed, along with 20,000 bottles of 1978 Vintage Porto, and company records dating back to the company's founding in 1715.
In 1982, Cristiano and Teresa van Zeller, as the next generation, took over the company. They were 23 and 22, respectively. Also this year, Noval began re-building the lodge in V.N. da Gaia, but also undertook to build a new one at the quinta itself. (Discussions to amending the laws were in the works, and by 1986, the mandate to only bottle Porto in Gaia was changed; it was legal to bottle at the Quinta, and Noval was one of the first to take advantage of this.)
With specific regard to the 1985 Vintage Porto, I would say the focus of the family was at best divided between the different (re)construction projects, financial management and recovery, as well as the fact that the experience of a "twenty-something" winemaker is -- let's say, "different" -- than that of a "forty-something" winemaker.
There were, at the very least, a lot of "distractions" going on amongst the family that then owned Noval.
In May 1993 the Van Zeller family sold the company to AXA in a deal that, IMHO, benefitted everyone. Noval got an infusion of cash and much-needed investment, and is production sme exceptional wines today, and Cristiano making some excellent table wines and Porto today, too, at his quinta.
Cheers,
Jason
Noval suffered not just problems in the 1980s, but disasters -- the biggest of which, in 1981, was a huge fire that destroyed Noval's lodge, bottling plant and offices -- all of which were in Vila Nova de Gaia at the time. (Remember that at that time all Porto had to be bottled in V.N. de Gaia.) Some 350,000 litres of Porto in cask were destroyed, along with 20,000 bottles of 1978 Vintage Porto, and company records dating back to the company's founding in 1715.
In 1982, Cristiano and Teresa van Zeller, as the next generation, took over the company. They were 23 and 22, respectively. Also this year, Noval began re-building the lodge in V.N. da Gaia, but also undertook to build a new one at the quinta itself. (Discussions to amending the laws were in the works, and by 1986, the mandate to only bottle Porto in Gaia was changed; it was legal to bottle at the Quinta, and Noval was one of the first to take advantage of this.)
With specific regard to the 1985 Vintage Porto, I would say the focus of the family was at best divided between the different (re)construction projects, financial management and recovery, as well as the fact that the experience of a "twenty-something" winemaker is -- let's say, "different" -- than that of a "forty-something" winemaker.
There were, at the very least, a lot of "distractions" going on amongst the family that then owned Noval.
In May 1993 the Van Zeller family sold the company to AXA in a deal that, IMHO, benefitted everyone. Noval got an infusion of cash and much-needed investment, and is production sme exceptional wines today, and Cristiano making some excellent table wines and Porto today, too, at his quinta.
Cheers,
Jason
Porto comes from only one place . . . no matter what the label says!