2021 Quinta do Noval Nacional Vintage Port, Douro Valley

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.

97 points jamessuckling.com

From a legendary plot of ungrafted vines, rooted in the soil of the nation, hence ‘Nacional’, foot trodden in lagar and aged for 18 months in oak and chestnut wood vats, with a capacity of 2500 litres: very deep and opaque with almost inky intensity of colour; still quite introverted and sullen with underlying stony depth and kirsch-like intensity on the nose; immediately fills the mouth with beautifully defined, ripe cherry and plum fruit, bold structural gritty tannins which persist on a long vibrant and overwhelmingly fresh finish that goes on and on. Magnificent.

18.5 points Richard Mayson richardmayson.com

The most revered and collectible Port in the world, Quinta do Noval Nacional is a Vintage Port produced from a single 2.5-hectare parcel of ungrafted vines in the Quinta do Noval estate, right next to the cellars. This patch of vines consistently produces a sublime and unique wine which is widely considered to be the pinnacle of Vintage Port and, indeed, one of the world’s great wines. It is also almost certainly the rarest of the world's great wines as so little is released—and even then, only in the appropriate years.

 The Nacional plot is not named after the grape Touriga Nacional (as is commonly assumed). In fact, the site is planted with a range of the best Port varieties, including Touriga Nacional (which only accounts for roughly 30%), Touriga Francesa, Tinto Cão (about 20%, 60-year-old vines), Tinta Roriz and some Sousão. The average age of the vines is around 50 years. The wine is called Nacional (i.e. national) because it is produced exclusively from ungrafted vines (i.e. vines on their original rootstocks and therefore directly in touch with the soil of the nation). The yields of these vines are minuscule (around 15 hl/ha), and the tight bunches of small, deeply coloured grapes produce a massively profound yet sublimely refined Port. The Romanée-Conti of Ports, if you like.

Alcohol: 19,5%
Total sugar: 104g/dm3
Total Acidity: 4.8g/dm3
pH: 3.52