Presentation
Noval Late Bottled Vintage is elaborated exactly like a Vintage Port and made exclusively from the Douro Valley's noble grape varieties. Its main difference is the ageing time: four years in large wooden casks instead of the two years typical for Vintage Ports. It is a complex LBV with intense aromas of black fruits. This filtered Port can be enjoyed now but will age magnificently in bottle.
The vintage
2016 was a year of extremes: a warm winter with high rainfall, at 618 mm twice as much as in an average year. After a wet spring, summer was very hot and dry, with some peaks of heat in August and September.
Harvest
By the end of August, the harvest looked extremely good, in excellent sanitary condition, but ripening began to slow down due to the very hot and dry conditions. Fortunately 17 mm of much needed rain fell on 13th September, and maturation continued in ideal conditions from this point onwards. The main part of the harvest began on 19th September in dry and sunny weather, and the fruit continued to ripen throughout the harvest period. We were able to harvest each plot in ideal conditions as ripening continued.
In spite of the unusual and extreme climatic conditions of the year, the end result is of an excellent quality. The Port wines are exceptional, with excellent structure, very intense bright fruit, and aromatically very expressive.
Blend
Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão and Sousão predominate among the traditional grape varieties of the Demarcated Region of the Douro Valley.
Winemaking
Grapes were trodden by foot to obtain the must, then they macerate in the "lagares", the traditional stone vats from the Quinta to obtain the best possible extraction The fermentation lasted for 3 days.
Ageing
The wine matured 4 years in large wooden casks called tonéis, instead of 2 years for a Classic Vintage. This explains its name, "Late Bottled Vintage". The wood that is used has over 30 years of age so that no wood flavours are transmitted to the wine.
Specifications
Alcohol content : 19.5 % vol.
Residual Sugar : 92 g/l
pH : 3.58
Total acidity : 4.4 g/l
Serving
Serve at 10-14°C.