Vintus

Colheitas,

The Colheita at Noval are true rarities, all from 100% estate grown grapes, which were trodden by foot and fermented in the lagares at the Quinta. These single-vintage tawnies are available in small quantities in the Douro to begin with; Colheita from 100% estate-grown fruit are nearly unheard of, and extraordinarily special wines. The wines spend their entire lives in old oak barrels until the moment of bottling, which takes place only when an order is received. The most recent Colheita, the 1995, is primarily Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Francesca. It displays a beautiful pale, tawny color. It has an attractive, intense and mature bouquet, characteristic of tawnies this age, reminiscent of dry fruits. Sweet and complex on the palate, Quinta do Noval’s Colheita show an elegant structure, and are harmonious, with a persistent finish.

• 1997 Vintage

  In 1997 the winter started cold and snow covered the entire Quinta for a few days. February and March were very hot and dry, reaching 29ºC and thus causing an advance of 15 days in which budbreak was less than average. Flowering was one month earlier than in 1996, with temperatures always above 20 degrees and virtually no rain, perfect conditions for a good fruit set. The lack of water in the soil was compensated by the rains in April, May and by mild early summer temperatures reaching normal levels by the end of June.

  Maturation took place in August and September in perfect conditions with very hot days and cool nights, the latter a particular feature of this year, resulting in wonderful freshness and balance in the wines.
  
  On September 22, grapes were in great condition. The winery decided to start the harvest at the lower parcels of the Quinta and the grapes arrived at the Lagares with 14 Be, perfect sugar content. After the “Corte” the aroma and colour quickly showed them that they were in the presence of a Vintage year. The harvest continued under ideal conditions and they were able to take their time, picking the grapes “a la carte” until 9 October.

  The Colheita 1997 has a complex nose combining nuttiness with fresh fruit still present. Rich and succulent, it has a silky texture with exotic flavors on the palate and a lingering finish.

  • "This is a blend of 30% Touriga Nacional, 20% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Roriz, 20% Tinta Barroca and a 10% field blend. The winery described this year as follows: "In 1997, winter began very cold and the snow covered the whole Quinta during some days, which hadn't happened for more than three decades. In February and March temperatures were very hot, getting to reach 29 degrees and it didn't rain, causing a 15 days blooming advance inferior to the average. Blooming elapsed a month earlier than in 96, with above 20 degrees temperatures and almost without any rain, providing excellent conditions for a good maturation. The rain compensated the lack of water in the soul in April and May and by temperatures below the average that reached normal values in the end of June. Ripeness was excellent in August and September, with very hot days and night breeze." It seems to me on looking over my notes that 1997s as a group have seemed remarkably elegant. So, too, here. Quite possibly the most graceful and restrained of this group of Novals, it is lovely and charming, easy to like, sweet, refined and a little subtle--relatively speaking. It is an ingratiating wine that does a lot without being overly obvious about it."  90 Points Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

• 1995 Vintage

  The most current Colheita, the 1995, is primarily Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Francesca. It displays a beautiful pale tawny color. It has an attractive, intense and mature bouquet, reminiscent of dry fruits. Sweet and complex on the palate, Quinta do Noval’s Colheitas show an elegant structure, and are harmonious, with a persistent finish.

  • "Smooth and elegant, this shows an intense dried citrus note to the dried apricot, pear and apple flavors. Toffee and spice notes mark the long finish, which also features accents of white pepper." 92 Points Wine Spectator 

  • "Noval provided from precise analysis for this and the '97. It is a blend of 30% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta Roriz, 30% Touriga Franca and 10% field blend. Noval describes the vintage as follows: "Winter of mild temperatures, with enough rain to assure in depth water reservations. Spring with little rain and high temperatures provided a precocious, fast and regular blooming, with an excellent vegetal growth for all the vines. The strong rain of June and the beginning of July were followed by a dry summer, with high temperatures, which originated a short ripeness period. In consequence of the rainy cycle and of the good grape sanitary conditions, 1995 was a year of average production with excellent quality." This reminds me of a younger version of the '86, big, vibrant, powerful and preening in its relative youth, showing off all its components and bragging about it a bit. Like all of the wines in this lineup, its intensity is matched by fine fruit. Additional bottle age may add complexity to this beautiful release as might additional barrel age when it is re-released one day, but it is awfully fine now and a big bargain in his lineup."  92 Points Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

  • "There are just 20 barrels (640-litres) of the first Colheita under the Mr. Seely’s aegis. It has a well-defined, quite intense, walnut tinged nose with hints of Indian spices, Maraschino cherry and with aeration just a tincture of grappa! The palate is medium-bodied, very well balanced, tight at first but fanning out beautifully towards the nutty, smoky finish that has a real spicy kick on the back palate. Superb. Drink now-2025." 91 Points Neal Martin, Wine Advocate

• 1986 Vintage

  • "Held (per custom) in used oak barrels of 640 liters, this is hard edged at the outset, quite intense, piercing, very dense for its relatively young age and remarkably sweet in impression with a viscous texture. Vibrant, youthful and lively, with a lot of energy and tension at the moment, it is a Colheita that opens disjointed and obviously has a ton of everything. If it is not yet quite as complex as some of the older vintages, its energy and concentration make it quite thrilling, although it hardly displays the balance and harmony of, say Noval's '64. It actually seems far too young and I can't wait to see other incarnations of this as time goes on. Or, perhaps try holding it in bottle for a few years, which may smooth it out as well. As these things go, this is not a really old Colheita and it sure isn't cheap, but it surely seems to overachieve."  94 Points Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

     

• 1976 Vintage

  • "Another beauty in this wonderful Noval lineup, this, like so many of them, opens so rich and viscous that it seems simply astonishing that it is really this mature. It seems burly and youthful, fresh and invigorating. True, given the 2012 bottling date, it has not done much settling in the bottle - and those first tastes are often amazing. However, it was retasted in the USA as well some months later and over several days to boot. That rich, decadent first attack was still stunning a couple of days later, although the character and complexity were begining to emerge then as well. Sugary on the finish, with those whiffs of brandy in the background despite the 21% listed alcohol, this showed fine grip and tannic power on the finish, yet it managed to maintain its balance thanks to acidity mingling with the sugar. The lurking power is not always lurking, but the molasses-laced finish here is long and remarkable. That juicy finish simply made my mouth water. Every time I went back to it, it seemed quite spectacular. It is probably not coincidental that this was just recently bottled - no doubt it will calm down with time in the bottle - but I sure do adore this incarnation of it."  96 Points Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

• 1971 Vintage

  • "Elegant and caressing, with a sweet kicker on the finish, this is bright and lovely, mingling delicious fruit, acidity and an occasional whiff of brandy. I loved the mouthfeel on this wine, sensual and silky, another fine Colheita from Noval, this one showing off its beautiful balance and harmony as well as its impressive first attack (and note that this one has been bottle in a few years). This, I'm told, is not available in the USA due to limited stocks available, which is regrettable because it beautifully combines balance and sex appeal."  95 Points Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

• 1968 Vintage

  • "Surprisingly dense on opening, this new release is delicious, with intense caramel notes lingering on the finish. This rich wine has all the elements for obvious appeal, but it seemed to me to also show fine balance and integration of its parts. Plus, it is has those wonderful aromatics--but then, that seems redundant to say in this lineup. Early on, in fact, it seemed denser and more concentrated than the 1964--although note that the '64 had a year in bottle to settle in. However, I didn't find that to be true as the days passed by and they converged. This calmed down, became more elegant and beautifully harmonious while remaining quite delicious. I wasn't expecting as much here, perhaps, as with that '64 that I've adored in other incarnations, but it showed me a lot."  95 Points Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

• 1964 Vintage

  Because of the fortification process and the residual sugars, ports have the potential to age and to continue developing for considerable lengths of time. The 1964 Colheita has rested in barrel since vinification, painstakingly topped off, but otherwise untouched. Though over 40 years old, this wine was only bottled in recent years, and still posseses a core of intense fruit.

  • "This release is rich enough, but gorgeously balanced, aromatic and complex. It is a triumph over the year, which, as described by the winery "was a year of difficult weather conditions, with a severe winter, late burst and early drought. Rain in Spring and August. A very hot September. The year was characterized by late rain and inconstant weather that affected the harvest. The year was particularly marked by the lack of human labor in the vineyard due to illegal emigration towards France." When I first saw this 1964 several years back, it was in full flight and unusually exuberant. A year or so in the bottle has calmed this new version down (the earlier release that I saw was bottled around the end of 2007 or early 2008). It frankly did not seem quite as impressive, although it is very fine. Now, it seems subtlety to go with its pungent aromatics and a long, gripping finish, driving fruit into the palate. How can something this old, this long in cask possibly be so fresh, harmonious and graceful? It is a pleasure just to smell and its ability to remain persistent is quite impressive. It settled in around Day 2 and maintained impeccable balance for the next several days (until gone)."  95 Points Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

  • “The 1964 Colheita possessed a ruby/amber color, excellent richness… it is a top-notch example of a single vintage mature tawny “ 90 Points Robert Parker

• 1937 Vintage

  Colheita is Portuguese for “harvest”, and refers to a tawny port harvested in the indicated year. The Colheitas at Noval are all from 100% estate grown grapes, which were trodden by foot and fermented in the lagares at the Quinta. These single-vintage tawnies are rarities in the Douro to begin with; Colheitas from 100% estate-grown fruit are nearly unheard of, and extraordinarily special wines. The wines spend their entire lives in old oak barrels until the moment of bottling, which takes place only when an order is received. The bottling date is indicated on the label.

  • "This opens as a brute, with bursts of powerful acidity and a somewhat harsh beginning. Yet it is very complex aromatically, as these older guys tend to be, and as it sat it showed its viscosity, calming a bit, seeming surprisingly fresh, quite serious and multi-layered, with many dimensions. I liked this magnificent Colheita more and more with every sip. It has everything to gush about in terms of the obvious--fruit, sweetness and aromatics--but its aged complexity gave it that extra dimension I truly appreciated. It is quite wonderful."  97 Points Mark Squires, Wine Advocate

  • "The 1937 Colheita was superb, with its high alcohol amazingly well-covered by the wine's flesh and richness. The medium amber color was representative of its age. The huge nose of orange marmalade, jammy cherries, tobacco, smoke, and white chocolate was followed by a dense, rich, drier style of single vintage tawny that was full-bodied, rich, and spicy. This wine was a thrill to drink." 92 Points Robert Parker