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Quinta do Noval have announced their declaration of the Quinta do Noval 2008 Vintage Port.
Managing Director Christian Seely comments: "This is a very small declaration, less than 1,000 cases, in a year that will probably not be a year of general declaration, but there was a small quantity of wines from the very best terroirs of the Quinta that we found simply irresistible. I am sure that this wine will be a worthy addition to the series of great Quinta do Noval Vintages of the past years, even if its tiny production will inevitably mean that it will be quite rare and hard to find. Strikingly different in personality from the 2007 Vintage, the 2008 is nevertheless classic Noval, with great depth and harmony, and the finesse and elegance that always characterize the best wines of the property. Of course, tradition would have it that one should not declare two Vintages in a row, but this is something we have done before, with for example the 1966 and 1967 declarations, and recently the 2003 and 2004. So in a way it is a Noval tradition to be different. My own feeling is that if a wine is of the quality to be declared as a Quinta do Noval Vintage then we should do it, and I am very happy to present the 2008 Vintage Quinta do Noval to the wine lovers of the world."
2008 QUINTA do NOVAL VINTAGE
Historical
Quinta do Noval lies in the Douro valley in Northern Portugal where great Port has beenproduced since 1715. Noval is unique among the great traditional Port houses in the fact that its wines bear the Quinta do Noval name. For us, the importance is to be based in the Douro
Valley, in the heart of our vineyard. Our principal Vintage Ports, Quinta do Noval Nacional and Quinta do Noval are both single vineyards wines. The aim is to produce great classic Vintage Ports that are harmonious and elegant expressions of the terroir of Quinta do Noval. At Noval, the vineyard is at the heart of everything we do.
Definition
This wine is produced exclusively from selected plots on the Quinta and trodden by foot in our "lagares" and is only declared when various factors combine to make an exceptional year.Intensely powerful and concentrated, this wine is adapted to age in bottle, developing over years, releasing a complex variety of flavours.
Varietal Composition: Touriga Nacional 50%; Touriga Francesa 40%; Sousão 10%.
Vineyard Location: The wine was made entirely from grapes of Quinta do Noval - Vale de Mendiz - Pinhão - in the heart of the Douro valley.
Barrel Type: Used wood barrels of 640 liters or larger.
Barrel Time: 20 months in wooden barrels in the air-conditioned cellars of the Quinta, at the demarcated region of the Douro Valley before bottling.
Vintage Conditions
In 2007/8 the total amount of precipitation was 146 mm lower than the average. This difference was most significant during the winter with an exception for the months of April and May.
Apart from January and February all the other months have recorded below average temperatures, including the months from July to October. This decrease in air temperature, next to a less intense radiation, have allowed the vines to ensure its foliage well enough during its cycle, especially at the grapes level and thus to achieve a more balanced maturity with smaller berries.
Flowering took its course in the second half of May with low temperatures and low luminosity that have caused "coulure" and "millerandage" especially in the Touriga Nacional. This situation during the flowering period had a big impact on generating pretty low yields.
The color change was seen in the second half of July and maturation started middle August with a delay of 8 to 15 days compared to 2007.
The harvest took place from September 10. However, because of the rain that fell on September 21 we made the decision to stop the harvest and wait a few days. We restarted eight days later with excellent conditions and healthy grapes maturing and improving each day. The musts showed good sugar content, with good acidity and low pH, well suited to make Port and Red Wine.
The first tastings show us wines extremely colorful, elegant but well structured, with great aromatic intensity, who assured us immediately a very good overall quality of the vintage with lots of very high quality potential.
Vinification
The grapes were trodden by foot and fermented in the traditional "lagares" of the Quinta, with temperature control at 28º, where a disciplined and intense treading is fundamental for a good final result.
Tasting Notes
Deep inky colour with an intense nose of wild flowers and black fruits aromas. This Vintage Port is rich and powerful but elegant and smooth, with layers of concentrated fruit flavors, firm luscious tannins and a very long finish.
