Quinta do Noval Colheita 6L 2005

A colheita is a tawny port from a single harvest, and Noval makes one only in years when parcels show the structure to reward very long cask ageing.

The Portuguese word colheita means harvest. By law a colheita must come from one year and spend at least seven years in wood before bottling, but in practice many are aged far longer, and Noval is firmly in that camp. Quinta do Noval lies above the Pinhão valley in the Cima Corgo, on steep schist terraces planted to the classic Douro field blend, with Touriga Nacional to the fore. Fermentation is arrested with grape spirit, and the selected parcels are then transferred to cascos, the old 640-litre casks used for this style, where slow, gentle oxidation over more than a decade turns a deep young port amber and draws out its nut, dried fig and spice character. When the house judges the wine ready, usually after twelve to fifteen years, a portion is bottled and the balance stays in cask for future tawny blends. This is the six-litre format.

It is ready on release and needs no cellaring; serve lightly chilled at 12-14°C with walnut tart, pecans or aged Gouda. An open bottle keeps for weeks.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.