We recently popped this open at the wine bar and were captivated by how delicious, plump, juicy, rich and balanced this Late Bottled Vintage Port tasted. A great cellar guardian to enjoy while your other wines age.
WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The 2011 Unfiltered Late Bottled Vintage Port, a typical Douro blend, was bottled in 2016 with a long cork and 101 grams per liter of residual sugar after five years in barrel. This is brilliant. Sappy, intensely concentrated, remarkably complex and beautifully structured, this young LBV has plenty of room to grow in the cellar, too. It is young, unevolved and capable of development. The complexity that it has now, with a trace of herbs, rhubarb and generally classic Port flavors, is a hallmark, but that will increase and become more varied with age. The tannic pop will also calm a bit more, not that this is undrinkable now. This reeks of potential. Noval is one of my favorite unfiltered LBV producers and this is a fine moment for it. With a few years of bottle age, it might even seem better as it acquires more complexity. Mark Squires. DRINK DATE: 2018 - 2045."
JAMES SUCKLING 93 POINTS - "A very reserved LBV with attractive grip and density, and one that's not too sweet. Medium body, a fine tannin texture and a flavorful finish. Drink or hold. This will age nicely."
WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - "This is extremely dense, yet remarkably sleek in feel, delivering a torrent of dark plum, black cherry and cassis flavors. Long and very refined through the finish, with a terrific graphite spine. Offering a very focused beam of fruit and structure, this wine will outlive many of us. -- Non-blind Quinta do Noval vertical (May 2018). Best from 2025 through 2055. 2,250 cases made, 800 cases imported."
WINE ADVOCATE 93 POINTS - "The 2011 Unfiltered Late Bottled Vintage Port, a typical Douro blend, was bottled in 2016 with a long cork and 101 grams per liter of residual sugar after five years in barrel. This is brilliant. Sappy, intensely concentrated, remarkably complex and beautifully structured, this young LBV has plenty of room to grow in the cellar, too. It is young, unevolved and capable of development. The complexity that it has now, with a trace of herbs, rhubarb and generally classic Port flavors, is a hallmark, but that will increase and become more varied with age. The tannic pop will also calm a bit more, not that this is undrinkable now. This reeks of potential. Noval is one of my favorite unfiltered LBV producers and this is a fine moment for it. With a few years of bottle age, it might even seem better as it acquires more complexity. Mark Squires. DRINK DATE: 2018 - 2045."
JAMES SUCKLING 93 POINTS - "A very reserved LBV with attractive grip and density, and one that's not too sweet. Medium body, a fine tannin texture and a flavorful finish. Drink or hold. This will age nicely."
WINE SPECTATOR 90 POINTS - "This is extremely dense, yet remarkably sleek in feel, delivering a torrent of dark plum, black cherry and cassis flavors. Long and very refined through the finish, with a terrific graphite spine. Offering a very focused beam of fruit and structure, this wine will outlive many of us. -- Non-blind Quinta do Noval vertical (May 2018). Best from 2025 through 2055. 2,250 cases made, 800 cases imported."
