Christian Seely, managing director of Quinta do Noval, talking about the 2017 vintage: “I consider these wines to be among the best that I have known during my time at Quinta do Noval. The decision to declare them was a very easy one.

This port is in a legendary class of it’s own. From a small area of only 4.6 acres, at the heart of the Quinta do Noval vineyard, planted with ungrafted vines,  on average of 50 years old, all untouched by phylloxera, comes Nacional.

The word “Nacional” refers to the fact that the vines are Portuguese vines growing in Portuguese soil with no foreign root stock, and are therefore “attached to the soil of the Nation”. This great wine is a source of pride to the people of Portugal, and at its best the finest expression of the extraordinary terroir of Quinta do Noval.

2017 was characterised by a cold, dry winter followed by an exceptionally hot and dry spring and summer. Apart from heavy rainfall (25 mm) on 6 July at Quinta do Noval, only 300 mm of rain fell since November 2016. June was the hottest month since 1980, with temperatures reaching 42-44°C in the Douro Valley during a heat wave lasting from 7 to 24 June.

Due to these extreme weather conditions, all phases of the vine’s growth were 15 to 20 days early compared to 2016. The vines weathered the shortage of water and the high temperatures well. At the end of August the harvest looked very promising, with excellent sanitary conditions.