Quinta do Noval - Porto Vintage 2022
Quinta do Noval is an iconic Porto house, founded in 1715, recognized as one of the few established in the heart of the prestigious Douro Valley, rather than in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. It owes its name to its exceptional vineyard, the prestigious Quinta do Noval. The majority of the vines cultivated in this exceptional estate are planted with the noble grape varieties characteristic of the Douro: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and Tinta Cao. These grapes benefit from a unique terroir, composed of a mix of schist and clay soils, where the dominant presence of rocks makes the harvest particularly delicate and manual for the winemakers, thus ensuring a rigorous selection. Since 1994, a strategic replanting has been undertaken, adapted to each plot according to soil, altitude, and sun exposure, optimizing the quality and expression of the grapes. Among the vineyard's treasures, a plot of ungrafted vines, a rare survivor of the devastation caused by phylloxera in the 19th century, offers exceptional character to the wines. Since 1993, general management has been ensured by Christian Seely, an expert in winemaking and management of great crus in Europe within the AXA Millésimes group, which also owns prestigious estates such as Château Pichon-Longueville, Château Pibran, and Disznókő in Hungary.
This Porto Vintage 2022 is aged according to a refined traditional method: the grapes are delicately trodden to extract the must, followed by maceration in the traditional stone lagares, unique to the Quinta, ensuring optimal extraction of aromas and tannins during fermentation. This exceptional vintage then aged for 18 months in wooden barrels with a minimum capacity of 640 liters, promoting gentle maturation and unique aromatic complexity.
Grape varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cao, Sousão
