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JR's notes:

This wasn't my first visit to this historic Quinta in the Douro, but it was the first time I'd stayed there. It's a wonderful, beautiful place with some fabulous wines. This article appeared on PLANET RADFORD and in CIRCLE UPDATE in November, 1998, since when Christian Seely has moved on to become chief executive of AXA Millésimes at Château Lynch-Bages in Pauillac, Bordeaux. The Circle of Wine Writers website is at www.circleofwinewriters.org

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Quinta do Noval - September 1998

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a multinational insurance group with a multibillion franc turnover must be in need of a Quinta in the Douro, and so it has transpired with Quinta do Noval, now part of AXA Millésimes - a subdivision of the AXA insurance group. At this end of the financial scale, it seems, they do not muck about. 'Nice Quinta, shame about the condition...' was the obvious starting point, after which they bulldozed the house (keeping the main frontage alone) and rebuilt a replica from scratch, incorporating all the latest mod cons as well as guest bedrooms, a meeting/conference/ banqueting room and easy access to the lagares, which work day and night in season.

All that was needed then was a nice Englishman to run it, and this turned out to be nice Christian Seely, old Harrovian turned management whizzkid, who promptly married the girl next door, Maria Cálem of that ilk. Their appointed task is to turn in a working profit each year, of course, but mainly to secure the Quinta's long-term value as an appreciating asset for the parent company. This involves a deal of hard work in both lagar and house (visitors arrive with hotel-like frequency in the summer) but offers compensation in manner of the lifestyle - not dissimilar from that of the Port-barons of the last century, and certainly a long way from the hi-tech, satellite-dish'd, pager-driven, videoconferencing world of those ancient estates which are now owned by English and American parents.

It was vintage time, of course, and Christian is a lagarista, abet an open-minded one. 'We have yet', he says 'to make a Port in the tanks as good as we have made in the lagares...' But there is one lagar set aside for a complex installation of mechanical feet made from aluminium which is to be vinified separately as an experiment, and there are tanks in the new fermenting hall at the bottom of the hill which also have rotating mechanical 'feet' inside them. They don't sing, dace, or play the piano accordion, of course, like their human counterparts but neither do they go off sick, go home at night or demand a pay rise... We shall see... I was out there with Fiona Campbell and her acolyte Charlotte Hill (now defected to the retail trade) who, in the meantime, leapt into the ferment with a will.

When it comes to good Port, of course, Noval has a couple of advantages over many other Port houses. It has full, old-fashioned brick terracing with two rows of vines per level - perhaps the last full terracing before the accountants got involved and decided that unsupported single-row terraces bulldozed out of the hillside were more cost-effective. Secondly, it has the Nacional vineyard - a relatively small area of old, ungrafted vines which, in average years, give a lift to the Quinta's top wines, and in great years produce a vintage of their own which commands the kind of price which would bankrupt Midas.

So, onward to the tastings: over three days of splendid grub (the Quinta is virtually self- sufficient in all but meat and fish) and in a tasting-room with, perhaps, the most spectacular view in the wine world, we were able to investigate the full range of the Quinta's produce from the latest young'n'fresh white table vine to the most venerable Colheita. It came upon this wise:

26SEP98 - Non-vintage Tasting

1) Coronation Ruby (3 years in cask)

Ruby-purple//plenty of powerful nose with tannin evident//good, tight palate wit plenty of fruit 'locked in' by the tannin, perhaps a little sweet but 'good glugging stuff' (14).

2) LB (4½ years average age)

Ruby-purple//good, ripe fruit style on the nose//softer, less powerful palate but with greater subtlety and delicious length (14).

3) LBV 1991 (7 years in oak)

ruby-red//a more mature nose with a hint of oxidation, freshening in the glass//good initial grip, softening well and a nice balance of tannins and fruit; good length (15).

4) Tawny (10 years old)

Garnet//lovely warm, spicy, aromatic nose//gently-rich palate with great warmth, drying out gradually on the palate; pleasant length if a little 'hot' (14).

5) 20-year-old Tawny

Tawny//very delicate, lovely, nutty nose//palate big, warm, tight, elegant, stylish, gentle length (16).

6) 40-year-old Tawny

Full Tawny//pungent, powerful, warm palate//lovely full, nutty, spicy palate; delicious length (17)

26SEP98 - Vintage tasting (too little light for accurate colour - mostly straight purple). Christian's vintage ratings: 1994 10/10; 1995 8/10; 1996 7/10.

1) Quinta do Noval 1994 (Approx. £400 ex-cellars)

Slightly oxidised 'grapeskins' nose, secondary flavours fading in the glass//enormous fruit on the palate, tremendous power; savoury mid-palate; long, crisp finish - might have expected a tighter grip (20 years - 15).

2) Quinta do Noval Nacional 1994 (Approx. £3,000 ex-cellars)

Good, tight, rich, ripe nose - absolutely packed with fruit ('blackcurrant and fresh cream')//enormous full-power grip, tight tannic balance, austerity in the mid-palate but lovely equilibrium throughout. Splendid (25 years - 18). Tasted again (same bottle) 24 hours later: Enormous fresh fruit with delicious fresh spring wildflower scents//deep dark chocolate fruit; big, rich, powerful, blackcurranty-rich pyrazine; big as a house - long, long, long and citrus on the finish (18½).

3) Quinta do Roriz 1995

Similar nose to No. 1 - 'grapeskins' and secondary flavours//good grip, strong, powerful tannins; nice, deep-dark fruit, length a bit austere, lacks the weight of QdNoval (20 years - 16).

4) Silval 1995 (Approx. £170 ex-cellars)

That grapeskin nose again, but this time with some deep-dark fruit to back it up//lovely, ripe, powerful palate with good grip and an elegantly-austere balance; nice, gentle, elegant length; a touch sweet? (16).

5) Quinta do Noval 1995 (Approx. £210 ex-cellars)

Nicely balanced, aromatic nose with that hint of deep-dark fruit//austere foretaste with good grip and a nice fruit/tannin balance; again that hint of rich sweetness on the finish (17).

6) Quinta do Noval 1996 Nacional

Rather closed, very subtle nose with dark hints of raisiny fruit//great big upfront fruit - enormous power and ripeness, magnificent, and yet with a disciplined hint of austerity on the finish (35 years - 19). Tasted again (same bottle) 24 hours later: jammy, wine-gummy ripe rich fruit with hint of secondary aromas//ripe, fresh, very tight grip of tannins and fruit, Very long indeed (18).

26SEP98 Colheita tasting. The wine goes into wood 48hrs after pressing in lagares, first large then smaller casks. These are old barrels so there is no 'wood' effect, just the oxidative ageing.

1) Colheita 1981 (Approx. £19 in UK)

Garnet-tawny//gentle, rich nutty aroma//good, long rich, spicy palate with a lot of fruit sweetness; nice finish with grip and some tannic promise (5 years - 17).

2) Colheita 1982

Garnet-tawny//hint of oxidation on the nose, but delicate scent of dried rose-petals//a bit spirity on the palate - comes across younger than the 1981 - strong, hot mid-palate and length (10 years - 15)

3) Colheita 1976

Garnet-tawny//lovely, delicate, aromatic perfume//upfront it's silky, ripe, rich, powerful and gentle, but this conceals fire down below. Very rich and silky on the length (7 years - 16).

4) Colheita 1974

Tawny//a certain freshness on the nose, subtly spiritous, some deep-dark fruit//big, rich but gentle palate, lovely laid-back mid palate and yet a strong, vibrant finish (16).

5) Colheita 1964 (cask sample)

Tawny-garnet//lovely, elegant, aromatic delicious nose//round, ripe, rich, lovely retronasal aromatics, and yet the 'fire and brilliance' is still there (17).

6) Colheita 1937 (Approx. £150 in UK)

Mahogany//very delicate, aromatic nose, elegant, still fresh//austerity and maturity creeping in, delicate, nutty, delicious; barest hint of rancio but a long, very nutty finish (17).

Memories (apart from he wines): the magnificent estate; mist hanging in the valley like whipped cream first thing in the morning; the beautiful interior of the house, all polished wood, tiles, fresh flowers, warmth and hospitality; splendid meals - especially breakfast; Maria's charming, genuine welcome; Christian's diffident Englishness; the Quinta's own olive oil - not available in the shops but fabulous nonetheless; the grape-treaders, both human with piano accordion and mechanical with elegantly perforated aluminium feet; and, last but not least the sight of Fiona and Charlotte in their knickers, thigh deep in Touriga Nacional. You can't put a value on that!

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