Quinta do Noval Late Bottle Vintage Port

One of the best examples of LBV Port from the maker that invented the style.

The name Quinta do Noval appears in official land documents for the first time in 1715. The names of those early Port Wine pioneers are lost to history. But we do know that the country estate — a quinta — was acquired in 1894 by Anónio José da Silva and his visionary son-in-law Luiz Vasconcelos Porto. The history of this nobel house since then is well documented and filled with a steady stream of quality and innovation.

Quinta do Noval is now one of the most respected names in the business. And they are a true "estate" house, meaning that all aspects of production — from growing the grapes through bottling — are done on-site and their historic Quinta. They produce a range of fine Port Wines from the affordable and young through some of the most prized, aged vintages available.

Quinta do Noval invented the Late Bottled Vintage Port style in 1954. By tweaking the grape varietals and fermenting and then letting the Port age a bit longer in the cask than normal, they discovered that it needed less time to rest in the bottle. The result was a Wine that had the complexity and character of an old vintage Port and the ripe-fruit juiciness of a younger Wine. It was the perfect balance.

Even though this technique has been copied many times, Quinta do Noval Late Bottled Vintage Port is still the LBV gold standard and is one of the highest rated: 90 points from Wine Enthusiast, 93 points from Wine Spectator, and another 93 points from the Robert parker Wine Journal. It is unanimous… stock up now and thank us later.


Smartass Corner:
Fine Ruby Ports get flavor and character from both barrel and bottle aging, so most sit in casks for two years and then rest in the bottle for many more years, becoming "vintage" Ports. Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Ports age four to six years in oak, so they can be drunk almost immediately or left to age even more in the bottle.