For The Love Of Port

Is the 66 Noval a decent choice for someone looking for a birthyear port? Thanks in Advance!

What a great birth year for someone about to receive port! '66 is almost universally great. The Noval is good, I can't think of a bad one, but I would advise in order:

1. Dow
2. Fonseca
3. Graham

as the standout ports for that vintage.

Dow 66 is possibly my all-time favourite. No notes here now, but I recall it being perfectly balanced, slightly sweeter than the average Dow with a wonderful texture and still vibrant fruit. The Graham is a good long-term bet as it is incredibly youthful and will last a 66 baby's lifetime.

Agreed on 66, it's a fabulous year for Port. I've had five and can find nothing but good to say about them. In order of preference:

Fonseca
Graham's
Croft
Taylor's
Sandeman's

Never had the Dow but I do like Dow in general (being a Brit 'n' all). The Sandeman's is actually a lovely Port but was overwhelmed by its company that day, the heavyweights of Taylor, Graham and Fonseca. The Croft was had separately and was simply delightful. The Fonseca has most years in it and the Graham's was probably the best for drinking now.

Can't imagine that Noval would be a disappointment, I think the Dutchies may have had it but I could be wrong.

Hope this helps you, Smaugy.

Scott,

I attended the same tasing as KillerB last November - 63, 66 and 70 from Fonseca, Graham, Taylor and Sandeman. For me, Fonseca 66 won by a mile

That said, I don't think you can go wrong with a 66 from any of the big shippers.

Derek

Nope, haven't had it. But we do have one bottle in the cellar, so I'm following this thread with much interest.

smaug wrote:Is the 66 Noval a decent choice for someone looking for a birthyear port? Thanks in Advance!

Scott,

I last drank the 1966 Noval with Roy Hersh in Miami in Feb 2005 at the Noval Nacional vertical flight. Here is my TN (and what an incredible tasting that was!):

1966 Quinta do Noval
A mostly tawny colour with a hint of redness on the body and a terracotta rim. Soft dates and a hint of cinnamon on the nose. Mature dry dates, tannic and showing a streak of alcohol. The fruit appears to be drying and this Port should definitely be drunk now. 86/100.


Best,
Nicos

Do you know which bottling it was, Nicos?

RonnieRoots wrote:Nope, haven't had it. But we do have one bottle in the cellar, so I'm following this thread with much interest.

Ah - that would be it.

I have had the Noval many times from my own stash and the most recent one with Nicos (which was not mine). Normally they perform better than the bottle we had that day. I like the Noval from '66 but agree that there are better options if you are only considering the purchase of a single bottle or lot, for birthyear pleasures.

From memory without checking my TNs/ratings, I'd put the top wines in this order

Quinta do Noval Nacional - in a different league
Fonseca
Dow
Sandeman
Graham
Offley
Noval
Croft
Taylor
Niepoort
Warre

There is no doubt any of the ports listed above could turn out to be utterly delicious, even the modest and very mature ones such as the Warres. However, Roy's order basically gives you your betting stakes as to which will be the most impressive side by side, and the likelyhood of any one bottle being a rewarding drink.

I had a 1966 Noval that was British bottled (Berry Brothers & Rudd, I believe) two years ago, and it was absolutely stunning. Fresh, youthful and almost too young...

Stuart,

I smiled at your notes on the standouts of the 1966 Vintage and your tasting notes of the 1966 Dow. I agree completely. 1966 Dow is one of my absolute favorite Ports of the last 40 years. Impeccable balance and super classy fruit.

Paul

Thanks all for the great response! If I were to go the Dow's route... Would $175 be remotely fair?

Yes Scott,

Somewhere between $165 and $200 is fair for that beauty.

OR ... for YOU, I'd be willing to part with ONE bottle for a compelling trade if you don't want to spend the money. Up to you! I opened two of my bottles in November for a vertical tasting in Edmonton. I decanted both and brought the very best up there, leaving my wife a bottle to devour over a 3 day period.

I had one a month ago. Agree with Nicos' TN, more or less: nice wine, but nothing really to write home about. If you're looking for an impeccable source (in Germany) for the 66 Noval at a reasonable price, PM me.

Cheers, Victor

Roy- Very generous! I would definitely want to look into that- I will PM to talk.