Quinta do Noval Nacional Tasting @ London, UK
There are still a handful of tickets left to next Thursday’s Quinta do Noval Nacional vertical tasting (including the legendary 1931), details of which are below.
Quinta do Noval Vintage & Quinta do Noval Nacional
The idea for this tasting began for me in 1999 while reading Wine Spectator’s “Wines of the Century”. I was fascinated by their selection, and equally determined to taste them all myself some day. Included were such classics as Chx Petrus 1961, Cheval Blanc 1947, Mouton-Rothschild 1945, Yquem 1921, Margaux 1900 (which we will taste in June), DRC La Romanee Conti 1937, Biondi Santi 1955, Grange 1955, Inglenook 1941, Martha’s Vineyard 1974, La Chapelle 1961, and Quinta do Noval Nacional 1931. In the introduction to the article, James Suckling recounted the story of his experience in 1989 of a bottle of the Nacional 1931…
“When the decanter of '31 Nacional began to make its way around the table, the group of tasters became as silent as a church congregation in the middle of a prayer. No one spoke, they simply smelled and tasted, then tasted and smelled. The small room filled with an intense odor of chocolate, plums and cherries, much like the atmosphere in a shop that sells exquisite handmade chocolates. The Port was medium-bodied and filled the mouth with sweet fruit flavors and caressing tannins. Its flavor lingered for minutes. I looked around the room to see smiles above the rims of the participants' Port glasses. A few noises of elation and joy followed. But still no one spoke. We were all concentrating on the pleasure in our glasses. Finally, the owner of Noval couldn't hold himself back--he said that it was the most remarkable Port he had ever tasted. We all agreed and then raised a toast to the owner of the bottle ... and then to the Queen ... and then to the President of the United States ... and then .... We obviously got carried away, but that's what happens when you drink great wines.”
Richard Mayson in Port and the Douro refers to its “legendary” reputation, holding at the time of publication (2004) the highest price ever paid for a bottle of port. We broke that by some margin paying £5,028.75 for our bottle! The Nacional 1931 is fine wine’s needle in the haystack. Only around 250 cases are produced each year from ungrafted vines (hence ‘Nacional’ – no American rootstock between vine and national soil), and this vintage has been famous for decades. Even Noval’s managing director, Christian Seely (who will join this tasting), has had it only once, and from a poor bottle. Ours is of impeccable provenance, so fingers crossed!