Quinta Do Noval Colheita Vintage Port 2007 750ml

Expert Reviews

Decanter 97 Points | Declared as a vintage by most shippers including Noval 2007 was a relatively cool year in the Douro with wines characterised by their purity of fruit. Mid-deep and still quite youthful in colour with a lovely orange-tawny glint; forthcoming on the nose with a complex creamy-floral character along with a touch of malt and spice; soft and sublime on the palate sweet but a touch savoury toasted almonds character too piqued with peppery tannins and leading to a long beautifully lithe finish. Drinking Window 2021 - 2030

Wine Advocate 92 Points | The 2007 Colheita Tawny Port is a typical field blend of grapes like Touriga Nacional Touriga Franca Tinto Cão Sousão and Tinta Roriz bottled on March 2 2021 with 120 grams of sugar 21% alcohol and a long cork. Dark and stern this young Colheita shows off more treacle and molasses than I would typically expect at this young age. It seems older than the vintage date suggests which is not necessarily a bad thing for a young Colheita and it also seems so rich that it is almost syrupy early on. Then it adds plenty of power. This is not the easiest or friendliest young Colheita but it certainly has plenty of "wow" factor in terms of power ripeness concentration and complexity. A "wow" factor isn't always the final answer though and I'm not sure its balance will meet expectations. It sure isn't your typical young Colheita. Plus the price here is rather high for a young Colheita. Whether you think this exceeds or thwarts your expectations might be a matter of taste in the long run. It's certainly very good in its big style and sometimes more than that but at $90 perhaps it also needs to be unequivocally sensational. This does come with a long cork for those who want to try aging it. It is a myth that Tawnies never change although they age slowly. I wonder if a few years in the cellar would smooth this out. In that regard it did seem to drink better with a week in the fridge. At that point I liked it a lot more. In any event