Portugal · Porto

Quinta do Noval

Quinta do Noval is one of the Douro Valley's most historic and revered properties, famous above all for Nacional — widely considered the greatest Port wine ever made. The estate was established in the 17th century and sits dramatically above Pinhão in the Cima Corgo. Nacional is produced from a tiny plot of ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines and is made only in exceptional years; production rarely exceeds 250 cases, and prices at auction are extraordinary, rivalling the world's greatest wines. In non-Nacional years, Noval declares one of Port's most elegant and refined vintage wines from its grafted vineyards. The estate has been owned since 1993 by the AXA Millésimes group, which also owns Pichon Baron and Suduiraut in Bordeaux, and has invested significantly in restoring the vineyards to their former glory. The quinta also produces excellent LBV and Colheita Ports. At auction, Noval Nacional from declared years — 1931, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1994, 1996, 2003 — commands some of the highest prices of any fortified wine in the world, while the regular vintage declaration is also highly collectible given its distinctive finesse.