Day 6 – Friday
Quinta do Sagrado
After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, the participants of the 2015 For The Love Of Port Harvest Tour were back at it again! Today would be another first for me – a visit to Quinta do Sagrado. In some ways, it is a sad story that has been repeated too often in the Douro Valley – small producers (or even some large ones) forced to sell off their historic properties due to economic conditions.
In 1859, António Alves Calem and his son, António Calem, Jr. founded A.A. Calem & Filho, Lda after building a successful business that included producing barrels, making wine, and shipping it on their own boats to Brazil. They started producing Port wine, and as the business grew, they purchased both Quinta da Foz and Quinta do Sagrado around 1885.
Over the next century, the business grew, but the Portuguese Revolution in 1974 was a blow to the business that resulted in the sale of the company. The family, however, did manage to hold onto Quinta do Foz and Quinta do Sagrado. However, in 2011, they sold Quinta do Foz, retaining only Quinta do Sagrado.
Quinta do Sagrado have around 20 hectares, and our host today José Maria Calem, is making the most of what he has to continue producing high quality wine from the property’s “Class A” vineyards.
We started with a tour of the barrel room, which was unique in that there are old paintings depicting the Port production process hanging on the walls.
The harvest was in full swing, so we also took a look at the production line as the grapes were coming in from the field.
After the tour, we gathered on the patio to enjoy a great lunch, and sample the wide range of wines produced by Quinta do Sagrado.
2014 Sagrado Douro White – Very pale straw in color. Fresh tropical fruit on the nose. Grapes purchased from vineyards at 400-500m high. This creates acidity due to the coolness at night. Minerality, tropical fruit (banana) and some pear. 88 points. 10/2/2015
2014 Sagrado Douro Rose – Pink salmon in color. Subdued nose due to short contact with skins. Simple wine, not very complex. Subtle hints of tropical fruit but hard to pull out any distinct flavors. 85 points. 10/2/2015
2012 Sagrado Douro Tinta Roriz – Ruby purple in color. Red fruit on the nose. Forward tannins with dry, floral profile. Strawberry and currant on the palate. Dry, dusty tannins on the finish. 82 points. 10/2/2015
2012 Sagrado Douro Red – Touriga Nacional and Old Vines. Medium purple in color. Hints of primary grapes on the nose. Firm tannins, still some primary fruit underneath. 86 points. 10/2/2015
2008 S. Sagrado Reserva Douro Red – Dark purple in color. Floral and herbal notes with dark fruit underneath. Well-structured tannins. The fruit is subtle, leaving this with a dusty feel. 91 points. 10/2/2015
2008 Sagrado VT08 Douro Red – Dark purple center with a transparent edge. Great dark fruit nose. Great balance, with tannins and some nice red fruit on the palate. Excellent acidity. Elegant. 93 points. 10/2/2015
2008 Sagrado VT08 “VV” Douro Red – Intense nose of blueberry and dark fruit. Wonderful cranberry on the palate, backed by a great tannic structure. Very long finish with some great dusty notes. 94 points. 10/2/2015
“S” Sagrado 10 Year Old Tawny Port – Amber orange in color. Caramel on the nose. Burnt sugar and a little spirit on the mid-palate. Toffee finish with some good acidity. 90 points. 10/2/2015
2010 “S” Sagrado Late Bottled Vintage Port – Rich purple in color. Some primary fruit on the nose. Rich, black fruit on the palate. Dark fruit on the finish with good tannins and balance. 89 points. 10/2/2015
“S” Sagrado 30 Year Old Tawny Port – Great nose of caramel, pralines and some hints of orange. Limited tasting note due to a small pour. 93 points. 10/2/2015
2011 Quinta do Sagrado Vintage Port – Deep, impenetrable purple in color. Eucalyptus and cassis on the nose. Deep plum and blueberry with some mint on the palate. 91 points. 10/2/2015
It was great to spend some time with Jose, hear the story of Quinta do Sagrado, and taste some of his wines. Quinta do Sagrado as a historic sense of charm, and no doubt I will be back to visit again.
Quinta do Noval
Our last visit for the day was Quinta do Noval, most known for their legendary Nacional Vineyard and the amazing Vintage Ports that are produced from its vines.
The Quinta was founded in 1715, and we were fortunate enough to say we visited it in the year of its 300th Anniversary!
The Quinta, purchased by AXA Millésimes in 1993, is under the management of Christian Seeley, who has done a superb job of navigating Quinta do Noval through a changing Port wine industry, including converting over 100 hectares of field blend vineyards to more modern block planting.
We were welcomed upon our arrival by Ana Carvalho, who would be giving us our tour and tasting today.
Our tour began out on the terrace with an introduction to the company, vineyards and the wines.
We then took a walk through the vineyards, including the Quinta do Noval’s legendary Nacional Vineyard.
The Nacional parcel is the Quinta’s crown jewel. A mere 6,000 ungrafted vines sit on this 2.5 hectares of vineyard. The Nacional Vintage Port gained its reputation on the declaration of the 1931 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port – perhaps one of the greatest Vintage Ports of this century. Since then, the Nacional Vintage Ports have remained Vintage Ports with cult status for many collectors and Port aficionados. They also command some of the highest release prices for Vintage Ports. Compared to the 1,200 – 1,500 cases per year of Quinta do Noval Vintage Port produced in a declared year, in that same year the Nacional Vintage Port production might range from 200 – 250 cases a year.
After the vineyards, we took a tour of the production facilities, including the stone lagars where the grapes are crushed by foot.
Finally, we adjourned to the tasting room, where we had a spectacular lineup of wines waiting for us.
Noval Black Reserve Port – Amber purple in color. Primary dark fruit on the nose with some eucalyptus. Intense, concentrated fruit on the palate. Grippy tannins on the mid-palate with long finish. 89 points. 10/2/2015
2009 Quinta do Noval Late Bottled Vintage Port – Dark purple in color. Floral with some herbal notes on the nose. Intense blueberry and cassis on the palate. Tannins emerge on the mid-palate. Nice structure. 6 years aging in tonnals. The extra time in wood has made this a very approachable wine. 92 points. 10/2/2015
Noval 10 Year Old Tawny Port – Bottled in 2015. Light ruby in color. Orange peel and bitter almond on the nose. Salted caramel and orange spice on the palate. Fruit forward, with good acidity and a long finish. 91 points. 10/2/2015
Noval 20 Year Old Tawny Port – Bottled in 2015. Orange-amber in color. Caramel and butterscotch notes on the nose. Bright acidity. Unctuous hazelnut and a touch of soy sauce on the palate. Long finish with great acidity and balance. 93 points. 10/2/2015
1995 Quinta do Noval Colheita Port – Bottled in 2015. Orange with amber hints of color. Subtle butterscotch and honey on the nose. Orange peel, light mocha notes and some salted caramel on the unctuous mid-palate. Great tannins and acidity. 94 points. 10/2/2015
2007 Quinta do Noval Silval Vintage Port – Dark ruby-purple in color with slight lightening on the edges. Initial vegetative notes on the nose, giving way to mocha notes. Nice intense flavor profile of chocolate and espresso bean. Long finish with nice tannins. 91 points. 10/2/2015
2011 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port – Impenetrable dark purple in color. Tar and intense licorice nose. Very intense black fruit and some underlying tannins on the palate. Intense mouthfeel. Huge tannins and a very long finish. 94 points. 10/2/2015
2011 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port – Dark, impenetrable purple in color. Plum notes and some lavender, along with some subtle cedar/woody notes on the nose. Pomegranate and a touch of cranberry on the palate. Deep structured tannins with a very long, unctuous finish. 95 points. 10/2/2015
2013 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port – 1,000 cases produced. Some black fruit and herbal notes on the nose. Red fruit on the palate, with some hints of blueberry and black fruit underneath. Intense mouthfeel, smooth finish, and great balance. This is going to be a great wine! 93 points. 10/2/2015
After tasting through the incredible lineup, we moved on to the dining room for dinner.
Four new wines were added into the mix for dinner, including two of Noval’s dry wines, and two very, very outstanding Ports.
2011 Cedro do Noval – N/R. 10/2/2015
2011 Quinta do Noval DOC Douro Red Wine – N/R. 10/2/2015
1968 Quinta do Noval Colheita Port – Brown amber in color. VA and maderized notes with some caramel and cedar on the nose. Extremely unctuous and concentrated flavors of orange peel and orange spice on the palate. Crazy acidity. Very long, unctuous finish. 95 points. 10/2/2015
1967 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port – Red fruit and old leather on the dusty nose. Intense mouthfeel, with herbal notes, eucalyptus and some heat. Medium-full bodied with cinnamon and cola on the finish. 96 points. 10/2/2015
And as if the night couldn’t get any better, we changed clothes and climbed into the lagar to do a little foot-trodding of the 2015 Quinta do Noval wines!
After a very, very full day, we said our goodbyes to Ana and Quinta do Noval and headed back to the hotel, ready for one last day in the Douro.
