NOVAL NACIONAL

Noval's 'Nacional' remains one of the rarest and most singular wines of the Douro. It represents just 0.65% of total production at Quinta do Noval. All thr fruit comes from a tiny parcel of old, ungrafted vines, Nacional is unique in the Douro - a field blend of around 30 different co-planted varieties that gives the wine its unmistakable identity. The grapes are all entirely foot-trodden in the Quinta’s traditional stone lagares. Production is minute, with only around 170 cases made, released exclusively in individual bottles. Winemaker Carlos Agrellos speaks of the wine’s tannic structure as something impossible to replicate elsewhere — a texture and rhythm entirely its own. Aromatically, the 2024 is extraordinary. Fresh citrus-edged 'bounce' jumps from the glass, layered with deeply perfumed floral notes of lilac and violet. On the palate, the wine feels almost electric in its energy, combining immense power with an astonishing sense of delicacy and transparency. Bright blue fruit runs through the core, while the structure remains incredibly fine, measured and poised. There is intensity here, but never heaviness — instead, the wine seems to glide across the palate with an almost spectral elegance that is both fascinating and totally delicious. Seriously impressive!L&S (May 2026)