Quinta Do Noval Vintage Nacional Porto 2011 (750ml)

The wine is made in the same way as all the other grapes from the Quinta do Noval vineyard. Grapes are trodden by foot to obtain the must, then during fermentation are pressed in lagares, the traditional stone vats from the Quinta. The Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage is matured in seasoned oak vats with a capacity of 2,500 liters.

Although there is no such thing as an easy year in the Douro Valley, 2011 was a particularly challenging year in the vineyard. After a wet winter the weather was highly erratic from spring to autumn, with several extreme heat waves. Rain towards the end of August having provided the necessary moisture for maturation to resume its course, Noval gambled on postponing the harvest for a week for the grapes to reap the full benefit of this unhoped for precipitation and reach full maturity. With continued brilliant sunshine, this late harvest turned out to be an excellent decision. Once crushed in the lagares, the grapes revealed a wonderful deep color, remarkable aromas and ideal sugar content and acidity: the sign of a year with immense potential.