The 2003 Quinta do Noval’s Vintage Nacional shows superbly today with a deep, complex bouquet and aromas of lavender, black berries, spices, and blueberries. Medium to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins, it’s perfectly balanced and seamless, finishing with a long, precise, tense, and mineral aftertaste. It could reach the optimum score with a minimum of 20 years of ageing.
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Rich and spicy, laden with dark fruits. There's a strap of licorice that weaves through the flavour profile. It is creamy and layered showing awesome power and excellent balance. Spirit is clean with a floral edge and length imposing.
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Look at that colour, you'd never guess it was 15 years old Remarkable fragrance on the nose, floral, fennel, pungent On the palate it's very open and expressive, floral, aromatic, then layers of fruit, dark fruit, plums, tannins still there but they are very open and ripe. Long and complex. Absolutely stunning. Very very young but already showing so well.
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Tasted at Quinta do Noval in the Douro - More complex than the regular Noval. Also, a feminine style. Very spicy finish! Lots of subtlety here with slowly mounting tannins and a long, long finish. A really fine wine and one of the top wines of the trip! 95 points.
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2003 Porto cask samples with Roy Hersh (Sammamish, WA): Wow, this is a different nose with lovely violets and coffee. Wow, this is one big, jammy monster, loaded with blackberry, monstrous amounts of rich, primary, almost monolithic (to my inexperienced palate) fruit. Wow, what an utter monster, the most extracted and packed wine of the tasting with walls of fruit. Some notes of coffee continue on the finish, and then the huge, muscular tannins seize you. This is balanced and lovely but without the overall roundess of the regular Quinta do Noval (or the Niepoort Secundum about to be tasted after it). Pretty freakign awesome wine and a neat way to experience my first-ever Nacional.
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11/3/2023 - yohancastaing Likes this wine: 98 Points
The 2003 Quinta do Noval’s Vintage Nacional shows superbly today with a deep, complex bouquet and aromas of lavender, black berries, spices, and blueberries. Medium to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins, it’s perfectly balanced and seamless, finishing with a long, precise, tense, and mineral aftertaste. It could reach the optimum score with a minimum of 20 years of ageing.
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2/13/2023 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Rich and spicy, laden with dark fruits. There's a strap of licorice that weaves through the flavour profile. It is creamy and layered showing awesome power and excellent balance. Spirit is clean with a floral edge and length imposing.
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10/29/2022 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep color, inky, grappa, so youthful, lots of tannins
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11/5/2018 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
Look at that colour, you'd never guess it was 15 years old
Remarkable fragrance on the nose, floral, fennel, pungent
On the palate it's very open and expressive, floral, aromatic, then layers of fruit, dark fruit, plums, tannins still there but they are very open and ripe.
Long and complex. Absolutely stunning. Very very young but already showing so well.
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6/27/2016 - RayOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Portuguese Masterclass with Christian Seely (67 Pall Mall): Incredible deep rich palate that needs more time. Wow
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5/18/2010 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 98 Points
Visit to Quinta do Noval (and verticals of Noval and Nacional) (Quinta do Noval, Douro, Portugal): Black violet color; OMG!, rich, black fruit, tar, herbal nose; awesome, rich, ripe plum, rich berry, complex, deep and layered palate; very long finish
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3/15/2007 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 98 Points
The Fine Wine Experience Quinta do Noval & Nacional Tasting (with Christian Seely) (Institute of Directors, London): Richer, warmer, broader shoulders than the straight Noval Vintage 2003. Richer spice, very long and deep, extra dimensions of tannin, enormous extract, brutish, will take a lot of time to come together. Radiant. An exotic legend in the making. Will take thirty years.
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10/27/2005 - PortFanatic wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at Quinta do Noval in the Douro - More complex than the regular Noval. Also, a feminine style. Very spicy finish! Lots of subtlety here with slowly mounting tannins and a long, long finish. A really fine wine and one of the top wines of the trip! 95 points.
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6/29/2005 - Eric wrote: 95 Points
2003 Porto cask samples with Roy Hersh (Sammamish, WA): Wow, this is a different nose with lovely violets and coffee. Wow, this is one big, jammy monster, loaded with blackberry, monstrous amounts of rich, primary, almost monolithic (to my inexperienced palate) fruit. Wow, what an utter monster, the most extracted and packed wine of the tasting with walls of fruit. Some notes of coffee continue on the finish, and then the huge, muscular tannins seize you. This is balanced and lovely but without the overall roundess of the regular Quinta do Noval (or the Niepoort Secundum about to be tasted after it). Pretty freakign awesome wine and a neat way to experience my first-ever Nacional.
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