Day 5 – Thursday

Today we would be catching at train upriver into the Douro Valley for visits to a few historic Quintas that have become some of my favorites.

São Bento Train Station

We headed over to the historic São Bento (St. Benedict) Railway Station to catch our train up to the Douro Valley. Construction on this train station started in 1904 and was completed in 2016. It features gigantic panels of the famous azulejo tiles, which depict various historical moments in Portugal’s history. The station was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Monument of Portugal.

The train ride from Porto to the small town of Pinhão in the Douro Valley takes a little over two hours. However, the scenery during the trip is breathtaking for those making this journey for the first time. The train leaves Porto and heads east, eventually turning South and connecting with the Douro River a little before Régua, and then hugs the scenic Douro River heading toward the Spanish border. The flowing river and vineyards hugging the steep, rocky terrain make for a memorable journey.   

We arrived at the beautiful train station at Pinhão with more of the azulejo tiles adorning its walls. It was built during the 19th century, with the first train arriving in 1880. In 1937, the 24 tiled scenes were added, telling the story of Port wine production.

After spending a few minutes admiring the beautiful station, crossed the tracks to the Vintage House Hotel, which would be our home base for our stay in the Douro.

Vintage House Hotel

The Vintage House Hotel was first opened by Taylor Fladgate in 1998 on the site of some of their former lodges.

The hotel has 43 rooms with river views and is planted right in the middle of the action in Pinhão. Four years after opening, Taylor sold the Vintage House to the Douro Azul group, which is known for its Douro River Boat tours. It was sold two years later and was finally re-purchased by Taylor in 2015.

We dropped our bags off at the Vintage House and loaded into taxis to head to our first visit for the day – the legendary Quinta do Noval.

Quinta do Noval

I was very excited to share the experience of Quinta do Noval with my friends and family. I’ve visited Noval many times over the years, and both the wines, the property, and the hospitality have never disappointed.

A brief history of this property is in order. The first historical record of Quinta do Noval is a deed from 1715, with Manuel Teixeira giving the Quinta to his son, Abbot Francisco Alves Taveira. The property passed through several families over the next two and half centuries and had a history of falling into disrepair (or in one case, falling to the phylloxera epidemic) and being sold.

In more recent times, a younger generation of descendants took over Noval, with Cristiano van Zeller operating as the Managing Director. AXA Millésimes purchased Noval in 1993, and Cristian Seely now oversees Noval as the Managing Director.

We were welcomed upon our arrival by my friend Ana Carvalho, who would be giving us our tour and tasting today.

We spent some time walking in the vineyards, and I was particularly happy to have the group visit the Nacional vineyard, perhaps one of the most famous vineyards in the Douro Valley. This small vineyard contains pre-phylloxera vines that produce small quantities of some of the most sought-after Vintage Ports in the market.

After the vineyard tour, we visited the production facilities and got to witness foot-treading of grapes in the ancient granite lagars. Curiously, there was only one person treading (usually there are 10-15 people treading together) but it seemed like the heavy treading had already taken place and perhaps the grapes just needed a light re-treading by a single person.

We headed outside and gathered under the gigantic, 200-year-old Cedar tree for a refreshing treat – White Port and Tonics. This is one of my favorite summertime drinks, made with roughly an equal mix of White Port and Tonic, and garnished (or muddled) with your favorite herb (I am partial to mint, basil, or rosemary).

After enjoying our aperitif, we headed into the tasting room to begin our formal tasting.

Noval Black Reserve Ruby Port – Dark ruby in color. Dark berries and cherry on the nose. Strawberry, cassis, and boysenberry on the palate with some subtle hints of licorice. Balanced tannins on the long finish. 92 points. (9/21/2017)

2012 Quinta do Noval Late Bottled Vintage Port – Unfiltered. Ruby red with dark center. Dark fruits and complexity on the nose. Raspberry jam, boysenberry and chocolate notes intermingle on the palate. Well-balance tannins and beautiful long finish. 93 points.(9/21/2017)

2015 Quinta do Noval Vintage Port – Dark purple in color. Blueberry, a touch of herbs, and some rose petal on the nose. Well-balanced tannins and very long finish. Blueberry, cocoa, and a touch of spice on the palate. Aggressive tannins that give way to some residual dark fruit on the very long finish. 91 points.(9/21/2017)

Quinta do Noval 20 Year Old Tawny Port – Orange peel and nuts on the nose. Incredible richness with caramel, hazelnuts, and orange spice on the palate. Great acidity and very long, rich finish. 94 points.(9/21/2017)

Quinta do Noval 40 Year Old Tawny Port – Dark tawny-brown in color. Orange peel, maple syrup, and nuts on the nose. Incredible rich and lush mouthfeel with caramel, hazelnut and orange spice on the palate. The complexity of the flavors is remarkable. Waves of pecans, caramel, cocoa powder, and molasses roll through the mid-palate into the very long, smooth finish. 94 points.(9/21/2017)

2003 Quinta do Noval Colheita Port – Amber-orange in color. Toasted nuts, tobacco, and pleasant herbs on the nose. There is a touch of spirit on the palate, but it doesn’t drown out the nice notes of toffee and roasted pecans. The acidity and sugars are well-balanced on the nice long finish. 93 points.(9/21/2017)

Once the tasting was complete, we went into the dining room to enjoy our dinner and some dinner wines.

Vieira de Sousa

Our next stop was to one of my favorite “new” producers of Port Wine. While the family has been producing Port wine for over five generations, it wasn’t until 2008 (“new” in comparison to many of the old ancient producers) that Vieira de Sousa began the effort to bottle Port wines again under their family name.

Today we would be visiting Viera de Sousa’s main Quinta, Quinta da Fonte. Meeting us would be Winemaker Luisa Borges and her sister Maria Borges, Marketing & Sales Manager.

One of my favorite things about the Quinta is that as you pull up, you are struck by the chapel attached to the ancient old house. Larger or more prosperous Quintas in the Douro would often build these small chapels, and many times they served as the main religious center in very small, rural communities.

Maria would be giving us the tour today, and Luisa would be joining us later for dinner.

One of the first stops was to tour the old, dusty cellar, and I had a particular interest with particular interest in their large tonnel of Very Old White Port that sits at the end of their cellar. I’ve tried the wine from this tonnel on a previous trip, and I was excited to see if this Very Old White Port could live it to my memory of it. (It did).

Maria gave us a few samples from the barrels, as she talked a little bit about their aging of old Ports.

After the tour, we headed upstairs to the veranda to have lunch. They have a long table set up that overlooks the vineyards, making a fantastic venue for an unforgettable lunch.

We were joined by Luisa, who is the Winemaker at Viera de Sousa. She is one of several up-and-coming female winemakers in the Douro. We all sat down and as the food was brought out and we ate and we were able to sample several Viera de Sousa wines – white, red, and a range of Ports.

Maria and Luisa shared some history of their family, talked about both the vineyards and the wines, and shared a lot of great stories with us.

Dinner Wines

• 2016 Vieira de Sousa Alice Douro White
• 2015 Vieira de Sousa Reserve Douro White
• 2014 Vieira de Sousa Alice Douro Red
• 2014 Vieira de Sousa Reserve Douro Red
• 2013 Vieira de Sousa Grande Reserva Douro Red

Vieira de Sousa 10 Year Old White Port – Foot-trod. The average age for this white Port is 15-20 years old. Golden yellow in color, this Port exhibits nuts and a touch of tropical fruits on the nose. Nice, full-bodied, with a touch of spirit on the finish. 92 points. (9/21/2017)

Vieira de Sousa 10 Year Tawny Port – Amber-red in color. There are some dusty notes of mahogany, spice and cinnamon on the nose. Very rich flavors of cinnamon with some hints of red fruit remaining. A touch spirity on the long finish. 89 points. (9/21/2017)

Vieira de Sousa Very Old White Port – Aged in 5,000 L barrels for more that 40 years, this Old White Port is medium mahogany in color with the greening around the edge characteristic of an old white Port. Great notes of roasted nuts, caramel, and butterscotch. The medium body weigh carries the complex flavors and acidity that make this wine amazing.  95 points. (9/21/2017)

The hours seemed to fly by as we enjoyed the food, wine, conversation, and the friendship. Pretty soon, it was dark outside, we had finished up our dessert and Port, and it was time for one last group photo before we said goodbye to Maria and Luisa.

We met up with our driver and headed back to the Vintage House Hotel, basking in the memories of another wonderful day in the Douro, and looking forward to some sleep.