2000 Quinta do Noval

[JacobH]

Notes: Just edging away from opaque in the centre, but still dark purple fading to red. Very similar nose to the 2003 with concentrated red fruits. Again, a lot of tannins which are immediately present in the mouth followed by incredible concentration of fruit. The acidity is balanced. The concentration of fruit and tannins make it seem a little less expressive than the 2003 for drinking now. Needs more time.

Tasted at: Quinta do Noval Virtual Tasting with 67 Pall Mall

Date: 28th June 2020

Rated: C

http://www.jacob-head.com/port/records/ ... al_2000_VP

(A Note on Ratings

My rating system attempts to answer the question “is this a good Port?” one of three ways: No; Possibly; or Certainly. Ports generally are rated against others of their category. Therefore, a Ruby Port which I rate as C for Certainly good, might not be as good as a Vintage Port which receives the same rating. I sometimes modify my rating with a plus or minus indicating that the Port is better or worse than might be expected for this category.)

[Alex Bridgeman]

Decanted under Argon by 67 Pall Mall for one of their online Zoom tastings. 2000 was a dry winter; when rain arrived it was during the flowering season so causing a much reduced volume of grape production. The summer was hot and sunny with the vines under stress during most of the growing and ripening season causing the grapes to be very small compared to normal, and so a year with low yields and very high tannins.

Deep red and looking to be in early maturity. Lovely sweet bramble fruit on the nose, rich and effusive. Balanced fruit on entry, hints of rose in the sweet bramble with the huge levels of tannins in this wine really only showing on the mid-palate, which is dominated by fine-grained cocoa tannins that are exquisite in the nature. A wonderful acidity keeps the wine fresh and focused but never detracts from the sweet and floral bramble fruit. The bramble dominates the aftertaste and long, slightly dry-edged finish. Quinta do Noval does make terrific Vintage Port. 93/100.