Calvados, Madeira, Ribolla Gia...
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PWS Thank You Fortified 500mlFor those of you who may remember we used to have 3 big barrels of fortified wines out the back of the store where you could re-fill your own bottles, or buy from us, a selection of Stanton & Kileen Muscat, Topaque and Ruby Fortified. After many years these bottlings fell out of favour and with room growing to a premium at the store we got rid of them.
But what to do with all that wonderful sticky goodness? The juice was too good to just pour away and we really had a bit of a soft-spot in our heart for these wines. In jumps crew at Stanton & Kileen help us out with our little conundrum. They expertly blended the 3 fortifieds together with a little fresh stock from their own holdings and worked a little magic at the same time. The result is the PWS Thank You Fortified.
This is such a magical combo or red fruits blended with spicy muscat florals and a hint of earl grey tea. It's beautifully luscious and sweet like a muscat but a dollop of strawberry and raspberry fruit elevate the nose with a little twist on the traditional fortified. Delicious!
PortAustralia476$30.00 As low as $27.00 -
Stanton & Killeen Rutherglen Muscat 500mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
PortAustralia476$30.00 As low as $27.00 -
Henriques and Henriques Monte Seco Extra Dry 3 y.o NVThis is a relatively new concept for Madeira: a dry aperitif style wine. I like it. It sits in the glass with a very pale color and a slightly nutty nose. There is a rounded feel to the palate with notes of apple and some saltiness. WILL LYONS, The Wall Street JournalNVMadeiraPortugal428$31.00 As low as $27.90 -
Quealy 'Pobblebonk' 2024Quite possibly the most delicious Pobblebonk to date. Riesling, friulano, pinot grigio and ribolla gialla are the friends, each fermented wild in used French oak, on full solids and later blended. It’s heady with meadow flowers, lemon blossom and hints of lemon verbena, really spicy with nutty, leesy aromas, and the palate is both textural and alive with fine acidity. Neat phenolics add to the pleasure of drinking this. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion
Light to mid straw colour in the glass, the bouquet savoury with some nutty notes possibly from barrel ferment, adding layers to the floral and spicy fruit aromas. Deliciously intense fruit on palate with a touch more dimension than the Quealy pinot grigios. It's truly more than the sum of its parts. A lovely drink, intense, long and harmonious, the finish lip-smackingly dry and appetising. (95), HUON HOOKE, The Real Review
How do you make a melange of fruity, bitter and salty so perfectly? So easygoing, delivering the goods, not stingy on flavour, not pushy with perfume. Just right. Lightly honeyed, with pink rock salt to balance, crunch of pears and cashews, with a cooling aniseed to finish. Textural but smooth. Simply yum. Nailed it. (94), KASIA SOBIESIAK Kasia Sobiesiak, The Wine Front2024Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, Riesling, White BlendAustralia441$35.00 As low as $31.50 -
Ronchi di Cialla Ribolla Gialla DOC 2023The Ronchi di Cialla 2023 Friuli Colli Orientali Ribolla Gialla is a more stripped-down and transparent expression of the grape that is mercifully not overworked or overthought. The wine is bright and mineral-driven with white melon and nectarine. It remains sharply focused over a lean-bodied finish. Fruit comes from cool vineyard sites surrounded by lush forests. MONICA LARNER, Wine Advocate2023Ribolla GiallaItaly391$42.00 As low as $37.80 -
Ronchi di Cialla Ribolla Gialla DOC 2024
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2024Ribolla GiallaItaly391$42.00 As low as $37.80 -
Fonseca Tawny Port NVMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
PortPortugal450$44.00 As low as $39.60 -
Warres Warrior Port 750mLMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2011PortPortugal450$45.00 As low as $40.50 -
Fonseca Bin No.27 Finest Reserve PortMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
PortPortugal450$55.00 As low as $49.50 -
Stanton & Killeen Vintage Fortified 2015 750mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2015PortAustralia476$56.00 As low as $50.40 -
Fiegl Ribolla Gialla Villa Dugo 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Ribolla GiallaItaly391$58.00 As low as $52.20 -
Pioneiro Moscatel Roxo NVMy love of fortified wines is no secret, in fact I am loudly proclaiming it to any and all who are willing to listen (usually that's a small group admittedly). This is a new one for me and it is one hell of a wine. Burnt fig, orange peel, walnut, black tea and a hint of fish oil all intermingle on the really complex and decidedly enticing nose. The palate pretty much follows the same line as the nose and has an expansive, detailed and surprisingly lively finish. This little ripper is a contender for my new wine of the year. ROSCOENVPortPortugal458$60.00 As low as $54.00 -
IL Carpino Vigna Runc Ribolla Gialla 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Ribolla GiallaItaly391$60.00 As low as $54.00 -
Taylors LBV 2017More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2017PortPortugal450$61.00 As low as $54.90 -
Henriques & Henriques Madeira Verdelho 10yo 500mlPlanted at altitudes up to 400-metres located in the north of the island (Ponta Delgada and São Vincente), this late maturing grape is used to produce fruity, medium-dry styles. Considered a favourite amongst Madeira’s winemakers due to it’s ability to balance acidity, sugar and alcohol, at this level Verdelho produces a striking, off-dry wine that can also be served as an aperitif, with tapas dishes or more complex seafood dishes. With age, the wines grow in intensity, developing delicious honeyed depths and a creamy texture that is balanced by its racy acidity.NVMadeiraPortugal428$63.00 As low as $56.70 -
Henriques Madira Bual 10yr OldThe non-vintage 10-Year-Old Bual has a Baume of 3.1 degrees. It has a light, slightly muffled nose. The fruit is initially subdued, although with encouragement, it offers dried lemon peel, a touch of caramel and sesame. The palate is medium-bodied with a honeyed entry and sufficient spice to offset the sweetness. The finish is nicely defined with toffee notes on the aftertaste.NEAL MARTIN, erobertparker.com 2012NVMadeiraPortugal428$63.00 As low as $56.70 -
Henriques & Henriques Madeira Sercial 10yo 500mLSercial is the driest style of Madeira and this 10-year-old has vibrant acidity. A rich tawny colour with aromas of fruit cake, nuts, dried orange peel and citrus freshness. An initial figgy richness on the palate gives way to notes of fresh citrus, toasted almonds, walnuts and savoury umami notes. Finishes crisp and dry with a delicious salty tang. This type of Madeira won't improve with bottle age, but an open bottle can keep for several months. DECANTER
100% Sercial grown on mixed volcanic soils and hand-harvested mid to late September. Fermented with some whole-clusters with skin maceration in lagares with native yeasts. Matured in canteiro; aged in balseiro (large cask) and pipas (pipes) for a minimum of 10 years. Winemaker: Humberto Jardím. Vegan. TA 5.8 g/l, pH 3.52, RS 55.1 g/l.
Pale tawny. Edgy, sour marmalade with real refreshment and raciness. Clean as a whistle, and so fresh! JANCIS ROBINSONNVMadeiraPortugal428$63.00 As low as $56.70 -
Stanton & Killeen Vintage Fortified 2007 375mlWhile this is beautifully fresh, it has morphed into a very fine aged fortified. Woodsy, earthy tones with coffee and vanilla, blackberry essence and brandy-esque flavours to the spirit. Lovely balance, clean with tannins adding a raw-silk texture. A lot of emotion infused into this: a fitting tribute to Chris Killeen's skill as a fortified winemaker. (95) JANE FAULKNER, Halliday Wine Companion
Deep, rich, burnished red colour with a tawny rim; the bouquet mellow, complex, rich and sweet. Licorice and blackberry aromas with star anise and spicy notes from the brandy spirit. The palate is still remarkably firm and structured, but also rich and sweet, the finish drying it off cleanly with well-balanced tannin, acid and spirit. Blackberry and espresso coffee flavours. It's drinking in its prime at 12 years of age. (Durif, touriga, tinta roriz, shiraz, tinta cão, tinta barroca) HUON HOOKE, The Real Review2007PortAustralia476$68.00 As low as $61.20 -
Pereira D'Oliveiras Tinta Negra Medium Dry 5yoMixed dried fruits and nuts in a soft nose, all gooey and golden. There are dates and jar plums with fine old treacle from a tin can, a flourish of billy tea, and touches of aromatic timber and baking spice. Has a nicely defined palate with fruit extract and developing abstract secondaries providing a drying rail and grooving the palate. Succulence is nicely controlled – the sweetness only makes it halfway through the palate before the acid train takes over ... but by then the mouth-feel is up and about and sugar has done its trick. Scott Wasley, The Spanish AcquisitionNVMadeiraPortugal428$81.00 As low as $72.90 -
Taylor's 10 Year Old Tawny PortMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
PortPortugal450$82.00 As low as $73.80 -
Fonseca 10 Year Old Tawny PortReddish-tawny color. Slightly roasted aromas of bonfire, toffee and almond; slight hint of maderization. Sweet and smooth, but rather powerful, with youthful red berry flavor and a bit of heat. Smoke and nutskin on the lingering finish. STEPHEN TANZER, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Portuguese paradox. Old and rich nut, tobacco and toffee flavors yet fresh, thick and fruity, adding a slight tannin bite. WINE SPECTATOR
PortPortugal450$82.00 As low as $73.80 -
Henriques & Henriques Madeira Boal 15yo 500mlThe non-vintage 15-Year-Old Bual is initially reticent, but it blossoms in the glass to reveal notes of nutmeg, cloves and honey, although the toffee-ish element is conspicuous. The palate is very smooth with toffee notes on the entry. Neal Martin, ROBERT PARKERNVMadeiraPortugal428$82.00 As low as $73.80 -
Warres Quinta Da Cavadinha Port 2006 750mlThe Quinta da Cavadinha has a lifted bouquet with more red cherry fruit. It is lighter and more airy that Symington’s other single quintas, with fine delineation with more expressive minerality compared to the Quinta do Bomfim 2006, for example. The palate is ripe and sweet on the entry and displays filigree tannins, a wonderful edginess and poise, plus a sense of completeness that is very attractive. This is not a powerhouse single quinta, but it has life-affirming tension and purity towards the long, sensual finish. Wonderful. Drink 2016-2040. Tasted October 2011. NEAL MARTIN, The Wine Advocate2006PortPortugal450$85.00 As low as $76.50 -
Henriques & Henriques Madeira Verdelho 15yo 500mlThe non-vintage 15-Year-Old Verdelho has a Baume of 1.9 degrees. It has a terse, orange rind, California raisin and dried apricot-scented bouquet with attractive resinous aromas emerging with aeration. The palate is well-balanced with superb acidity, crisp, honeyed fruit and a delicious spicy finish that is focused and tense. This is one of the best in their range. Neal Martin, ROBERT PARKERNVMadeiraPortugal428$90.00 As low as $81.00 -
Willie Smiths Pommeau de Tasmanie 18.2%Aged in small apple brandy casks for over 12 months, this rich and generous liqueur is a result of blending pressed French and British heirloom apple varieties with our apple spirit.
Complex and well-structured with baked apple and spice, balanced with firm tannins and cask influence.
Our take on the traditional aperitif from North-West France – enjoy as such or serve with blue cheese or dessert. WILLIE SMITH
NVCalvadosFrance$90.00 As low as $81.00 -
Radikon Ribolla 2019 500mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019Ribolla GiallaItaly391$100.00 As low as $90.00 -
Fonseca Guimaraens 2018
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2018PortPortugal450$125.00 As low as $112.50 -
Taylors Vintage Port 2018 375mLMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2018PortPortugal450$130.00 As low as $117.00 -
Roger Groult Calvados 8yo Pays d'Auge 41% 700mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
CalvadosFrance$150.00 As low as $135.00 -
Damijan Podversic Ribolla Gialla 2020Damijan Podversic represents the essence of the artisan spirit of Friuli, where quality-driven, manual labor in the vineyards and a minimalist approach in the cellar aren't choices, but rather a way of life. The whites see a period of contact on the skins and are aged in large, neutral casks such as those one might see in traditionally oriented cellars in Piedmont or Montalcino. Readers should be prepared to give these wines at least several hours of air. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
Entices with a pretty air of white flowers, chalk dust, and freshly sliced nectarines. This sweeps across the palate with sleek textures and mineral-intense orchard fruit, taking on an almost crunchy sensation as a lemon-rind tartness setlltes in. …a refined interpretation of Damijan’s Ribolla that I could sit with for hours watching it slowly unwind. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous2020Ribolla GiallaItaly391$150.00 As low as $135.00 -
Damijan Podversic Nekaj Friulano 2020More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2020Ribolla GiallaItaly391$150.00 As low as $135.00 -
Dow Vintage Port 1977 375mLThis is an extraordinary house that seems to have been particularly successful with its vintage port since 1977.The 1977, still a baby, is fabulously scented, very rich and concentrated, and has a potential longevity of at least another 30-50 years. ROBERT PARKER1977PortPortugal450$170.00 As low as $153.00 -
Fonseca Vintage Port 2003 375mlSaturated deep ruby. Brooding, reticent nose of cassis and kirsch; there's nothing cooked about this one! Then massive, sweet and superrich in the mouth; explodes with exotic ripeness. Intriguing note of graphite. This coats every nook and cranny of the palate and clings and builds on the back end in a way that no other wine of this vintage can match. Huge, sexy and wonderfully lush Fonseca, built for the long haul. As impressive as the best 2000s, and, along with the Quinta do Noval Nacional, is an early candidate for port of the 2003 vintage. (97) STEPHEN TANZER
Fonseca vintage Ports are always among the most attractive and long-lived. This 2003 conforms magnificently to that model. It is structured, rich, powerful and opulent. There are cassis and black fig flavors, as well as sweet tannins. It is delicious already, and will remain delicious throughout its long life. (97) WINE ENTHUSIAST
Sporting an opaque, black-colored robe with dark purple trim, the 2003 Fonseca Vintage Port exhibits a nose of profound depth. Its sweet black mass of dark fruit and spice aromas leads to a character of immense depth, richness, and weight. Full-bodied, viscous, and almost impenetrable, this dense, backward port is powerful and exceptionally long in the finish. Possibly the most masculine Fonseca I've ever encountered, it coats the taster's palate with licorice, jammy black fruits, and notes of chocolate that last for over a minute. This blockbuster will require at least three decades to fully blossom. Anticipated maturity: 2035-2060. (96+) WINE ADVOCATE
2003PortPortugal450$180.00 As low as $162.00 -
Cidrerie du Leguer Eau de Vie de Cidre 700mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
CalvadosFrance449$180.00 As low as $162.00 -
Jermann Vintage Tunina 2022More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2022Ribolla GiallaItaly391$190.00 As low as $171.00 -
Adrien Camut Pays D'Auge Calvados 6yrs 700mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
CalvadosFrance449$195.00 As low as $175.50 -
Stanton & Killeen Vintage Fortified 2015 1500ml
More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2007PortAustralia476$205.00 As low as $184.50 -
Taylors Vintage Port 2018More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2018PortPortugal450$230.00 As low as $207.00 -
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2015Tasting his 2015 Ribolla I think I understood a lot about his human journey as well. Because if there is one wine that he will consider perfect, this is it. To call it orange wine is to do it an injustice. Of course, it is a macerated white, for seven months in buried amphora. Sure, it matures seven years in large oak barrels. But it is above all a total wine, where everything is in its right place. The oxidative component that does not define it completely, but is only one component, as in great red wines. Infusion scents, as if it were an alcoholic tea. The flavor where saline elements and alcoholic warmth continuously dialogue. A total wine, in short, and as far as I am concerned something extraordinary. (99) DANIELE CERNILLI, doctorwine.com
The 2015 Ribolla Gialla Anfora is sweetly alluring, with a complex and heady blend of orange blossoms, raw honey, mint leaf, earl grey, dried apricots and peaches. It smooths over the palate with oily textures, lifted by a core of nervous acidity. Tart orchard fruits swirl throughout and are complicated by a mouthwatering twist of tangerine. The 2015 lingers impossibly long, spicy and wickedly fresh, mixing candied ginger with lemon sorbet, hints of butterscotch and exotic inner florals. The 2015 is a rich wine of contrasts and tension. ERIC GUIDO, vinous.com
Gorgeous aromas of persimmons and spices as nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel, and hints of caramel. Honey and apricot. Full-bodied, dry and layered with dried fruits such as apricots and pears. Botrytis spice. Fine silky phenolic texture and a flavorful finish. Layered and fascinating. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees centigrade. Drink or hold. JAMES SUCKLING, jamesuckling.com
Gravner’s legendary wine – the most sought-after skin-contact wine of Italy – is released seven years after the vintage. It's the result of the scrupulous, unconventional work of Josko, from the vineyard to the cellar, that makes the 2015 vintage a deep, golden wine with amber hue. Its intriguing nose is rich in aromatic components like dried apricot, orange peel and resin notes. Mouthfilling with great texture and delicate tannins, it shows lovely acidity with a sapid, mineral finish. DECANTER
2014Ribolla GiallaItaly391$285.00 As low as $256.50 -
Gravner Ribolla Gialla 2016Deep orange with amber-coloured reflections. Seductive, initially slightly reductive, oxidative, sweet bouquet of dried orange, peach and sweet spices. On the palate, it has an impressively silky texture with lush fruit, honey notes, hints of baked apple and vanilla. It is firm, stable and could be mistaken for a red wine when tasted blind. Be sure to temper it to 14-16°C, decant and keep a little for the next day! LUCA GIARDINI, superiore.com
Pale orange (less than half the usual sulphites added). Smells of the sort of orange-cream centre in a box of chocolates. Not aggressively chewy. Tangy, salty and dry with a hint of caramel. Went well with sea-bass carpaccio with blood orange and hazelnuts. JANCIS ROBINSON MW2014Ribolla GiallaItaly391$290.00 As low as $261.00 -
Christian Drouin Calvados 1995 700mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
1995CalvadosFrance$330.00 As low as $297.00 -
Pereira D'Oliveiras Madeira Malvazia Sweet Frasqueira 1991For madeira to get the classification frasqueira, they are required to be aged a minimum of 20 years in barrel, and a further 2 in bottle. The variety used for this madeira as well is Malvazia, a white grape, usually used in sweeter styles of Madeira, due to higher acid and create balance in the finished sweet wine. This particular vintage was bottled in 2019 and released in 2021, with a total of 28 years cask aging.
Here's Crazy Mary-Jane! A big herbal hit on the nose takes away any possibility of candy over-sweetness. Caramel and grilled nuts run around in a complex of wood notes, and excellent freshness partners aged and developed secondary characters. Herbal-columbine, toffee-tobacco, sweet but smoky and caney. A lashing of acid squeak teases out a long, almost savoury tea-like finish, with sugar memories tumbling along behind. Scott Wasley, The Spanish Acquisition1991MadeiraPortugal428$385.00 As low as $346.50 -
Pereira D'Oliveiras Madeira Sercial Dry Frasqueira 1989More time in wood equals more complex wood-and-balsam volatile secondary beauty. The fruit characters are raisined, dried, preserved and citric all at once, wandering through a sky-wide nose of fine aromatic timber, grilled bread and nuts. Dry Sercial's vegetality is largely subsumed by fine old wood perfume. It’s complex as all get-out, but with great harmony and composure. Dry and saline in the mouth, it’s almost austere but with a nice textural generosity through the palate, marked by complex herbal-woodiness and juicy palate acidity. Scott Wasley, The Spanish Acquisition1989MadeiraPortugal428$425.00 As low as $382.50 -
Niepoort Vintage Port 2007More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2007PortPortugal450$425.00 As low as $382.50 -
Gravner Mixed 6 PackMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
$1,450.00 Regular Price $1,725.00 -
Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port 2000Very dark savoury aromas. Dark elderberry. More bramble than blackcurrant. Very dry and firm and dense. Dry but slides over the palate – even though the tannins are very compact it remains fluid. Leaves your mouth feeling clean even though it is so mouthfilling. JULIA HARDING MW
2000PortPortugal450$3,595.00 As low as $3,235.50 -
Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port 2011This is the first time Noval have declared their famous Nacional since 2003 so this is an exciting development. Very dark purple stains the inside of the glass. Gosh, a massive bruiser of a wine. There is such concentration here that not much aroma can escape initially. Wild, peppery stuff. Then wonderfully juicy and spicy. This is like the ultimate biodynamic wine with lots of microbiology going on, in a good way. Very clean and fresh on the finish. Not notably sweet and with more marked acidity than some. A big contrast to, for example, Fonseca 2011. This is all about subtle topnotes rather than broad lusciousness. So vital! JANCIS ROBINSON, 2013
The 2011 Quinta do Noval Nacional has an entrancing bouquet that unfolds with time. It is extraordinarily concentrated with black currant pastilles, baked earth, a touch of terracotta and bay leaf that gains more dimension with time. Yet there is undeniable purity and elegance here, a seductive chorus of aromas perfectly in tune. The palate has a wondrous symmetry and focus, perfect acidity and immense purity. Everything here is so precise and at the same time, unassuming, as if this Nacional is aware of its breeding without the impulse to brag about it. It has closed down just a little since last year, but I take this as a positive sign that this legendary Nacional will delight for decades rather than years. This is the kind of elixir that leaves you speechless – surely the finest Nacional since the ethereal 1963. NEAL MARTIN, 20142011PortPortugal450$4,500.00 As low as $4,050.00