Quinta do Noval Cedro do Noval Tinto Vinho Regional Duriense 2018

Ripe, expansive, and juicy, the 2018 Quinta do Noval Cedro do Noval Tinto (50% Touriga Nacional, 25% Syrah, 20% Touriga Franca, 5% Tinto Cao) beckons with each sip. Deeper and more complex than in previous vintages, the 2018 Cedro do Noval Tinto offers a delicious combination of red and black fruits, vanilla, spice, and black pepper. Blackberry, blueberry, cherry, and plum all make their appearance in this Tinto’s aroma and flavor. In the mouth, the wine’s savory spice notes come to fore, melding with the wine’s fruit and tea-like tannins. Provide this flavorful 2018 Cedro do Noval Tinto 20 minutes or more of aeration and enjoy how it expands in the glass, its tannins smooth, and a warm pleasant finish has you begging for more. For optimal enjoyment we suggest serving the 2018 Quinta do Noval Cedro do Noval Tinto at cool room temperature (58°-64° F). Anticipated maturity: 2022-2026. Cheers!

The 2018 Quinta do Noval Cedro do Noval Tinto Vinho Regional Duriense holds court at the table, capable of holding up to bold, spicy dishes, while complementing haute cuisine with equal aplomb. Beef Carpaccio with arugula, extra virgin olive oil, fried capers, pickled shallots, lemon, and cracked pepper makes a splendid companion. Add a spicy Provencal style ratatouille to accompany the Beef Carpaccio and the 2018 Cedro do Noval will truly shine. We can heartily endorse grilled meats with this wine, too, especially lamb and freshly made sausage, even those that pack a moderate amount of heat and spice. Zucchini Parmigiana provides another tasty pairing with this wine. In other words, the Noval’s 2018 Cedro do Noval Tinto is a versatile wine: enjoy it with bold, stick to your ribs fare, an herb encrusted poultry dish, a delicious goat or sheep’s milk cheese, or whatever makes your mouth water. Bom Apetite!

Quinta do Noval is one of the oldest and arguably, by overwhelming critical acclaim, the greatest of port houses. This illustrious estate, which perches on the steepest terraces above the Douro and Pinhao rivers, traces its origins to 1715. It is also unique among port producers in that most of its wines are made from estate-grown fruit, and all vintage Noval ports hail from the single Quinta do Noval vineyard. The estate’s Nacional vintage port is legendary, emanating from a mere 6-acre parcel of un-grafted vines that yields only 200-300 cases in any declared vintage. Moreover, Quinta Noval has only changed hands twice in its more than 300-year history, once in the late 19th century, and to its present innovative owners in 1993.

Quinta do Noval is the most innovative Douro producer. They were the first to introduce blended tawnies with an indication of average age, the first to offer Late-Bottled Vintage Port in 1958, and among the first to introduce Rhône varietals into dry un-fortified Douro wines. Although vintage ports, the traditional fortified wines of Portugal’s steeply terraced Douro, are Quinta do Noval’s most known wines, Quinta do Noval also fashions wonderful dry un-fortified red and white wines, including Noval’s Cedro do Noval Tinto (this month’s feature).

Named for the ancient cedar that dominates the terrace of Quinta do Noval, Cedro do Noval Tinto Vinho Regional Duriense is comprised primarily of traditional Portuguese varieties with a proportion of Syrah. Syrah has increasingly found favor in the Douro where it adds charm, complexity, and dark fruit flavors to complement the Douro’s traditional red grape varieties. Although an authentic traditional Douro red wine, Cedro do Noval Tinto must use the Vinho Regional Duriense designation rather than Douro because of its proportion of Syrah. The Quinta also fashions a delicious Cedro do Noval Branco, as a companion to the Tinto.