Quinta do Noval : Vintage Nacional 2021

There’s such a purity of fruit here of sliced ripe cherries and crushed blackberries with blueberries, as well as fresh flowers. Medium- to full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Really polished and silky. Medium sweet with pretty grip and presence. Reminds me of the perfect 2011 but with a little less concentration. Drink after 2030.

As for the tiny-production 2021 Vintage Port Nacional, it’s a much more inward, reserved, concentrated effort that demands bottle age but clearly brings another level of density and elegance over the classic cuvée. Ripe black fruits, iron, graphite, liquid violet, and spice notes define the bouquet, and like the classic Quinta Do Noval, it takes plenty of air to shed its baby fat and offer a hint of the complexity that will develop with cellaring. It too has a semblance of the 2019 and shows a fresher, focused style backed by gorgeous extract, mid-palate density, and length—though if you’re looking for a massive, opulent style of Port, this might not be your best bet. Regardless, this has everything: purity, complexity, texture, balance, concentration, and length. A stunning Port, it deserves 10–15 years in the cellar and will evolve gracefully for three quarters of a century.