The Making of a 100-Point Port: A Superb Balance of Sweetness and Structure

What constitutes a perfect Port? 

Wine Enthusiast Writer-at-Large Roger Voss has a pretty good idea after tasting a bottle of Quinta do Noval 2022 Nacional Vintage Port, a vintage that came from an unusually hot year and a rare set of ungrafted vines that survived phylloxera.

“It’s a great wine, totally memorable and one that will last for many, many years,” says Voss, who issued a rare 100-point score to the Vintage Port.

In a blind tasting, Voss noted how the Port is “beautifully perfumed, ripe with sweetness balancing the massive structure,” he wrote in his review. “It is a Port to treasure.”

Reviewers taste products in peer-group flights of five to eight samples. They may have general context about a flight—vintage, variety or appellation—but do not know the producer or retail price. Voss tasted the Quinta do Noval 2022 Nacionale alongside other 2022 Vintage Ports, and it stood entirely apart, impressing him even more than the winery’s 2021 Nacional, which received 99 points.

So, how did Quinta do Noval master the art of Port? We spoke to the producer to see how viticulture, traditional winemaking techniques plus a stroke of luck with the climate all came together to yield a truly special bottle.

The Wine

Quinta do Noval relies on traditional methods to make its Port. The grapes are trodden by foot to obtain the must, then again during fermentation atop traditional stone vats from the farm. The Port is aged for 18 months in oak and chestnut wood casks.

The Grapes

Under the rules and regulations of Instituto do Vinho do Porto, the organization that regulates Port and Douro wines, Port can be made from more than 80 grape varieties that grow throughout Portugal’s Douro Valley, which is known for its steep terraced vineyards and twisting rivers.

The Quinta do Noval 2022 Nacional Vintage Port, a 100% field blend, is produced with several grape varieties, including Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão, Touriga Nacional, Sousão and Tinta Roriz. The term “nacional” signifies that grapes come from Portuguese vines grown on Portuguese soil, with no foreign root stock.

“The Nacional vineyard has a life of its own, following a rhythm distinct from the rest of our vineyards,” says Quinta do Noval winemaker Carlos Agrellos. “At times, it thrives when others do not and, conversely, there are moments when the others shine while it remains more subdued.”

Suggested Retail Price

While generally the highest-priced Ports on the market, Vintage Ports run the gamut price-wise, with excellent bottles worth double digits to others that cost upwards of four. 

However, it’s the very rare “Nacional” on the label, which refers to the tiny two hectare lot of ungrafted vines it’s produced from, that prices this perfect Port at a steep $1,500. For example, Quinta do Noval’s Vintage Port from the same year—2022—retails at just under $100. 

The Backstory

Unlike the other wines at Quinta do Noval, the 2022 Vintage came from a unique parcel of vines, located just outside the estate house. 

“Climb a few steps and there is this surprisingly small plot,” says Voss, who gave the fortified Portuguese wine a rare perfect 100-point rating. “The vines are ungrafted, which means they are planted on their own roots. Most vines in the world are grafted onto American rootstock to beat the phylloxera beetle.”

The impact this had on the Port cannot be understated. 

“The century-old ungrafted vines impart a depth and purity of fruit that set it apart from the rest of the vineyards on our estate,” says Agrellos.

Furthermore, the grapes used in the 2022 vintage tell the story of the year’s highly unusual climate. It was an extremely dry year, with only 10 inches of rainfall, less than half the annual average. The grapes proved resilient, even in July, when daily temperatures rose to over 104°F, and reached 114°F at Quinta do Noval. (On July 15, Pinhão recorded Portugal’s highest ever temperature at 116.6°F.) 

Perhaps counterintuitively, the high heat and relatively low humidity resulted in very healthy grapes, leading to few vine-related diseases or water stress on the plots. 

“We have local grape varieties that are highly adapted to the heat and, paradoxically, are able to retain a natural acidity—an essential element in achieving the balance of great Vintage Ports,” says Agrellos. “This is why, since 2011, we have been able to release a Novel Vintage Port every year.”