2012 Quinta do Noval: a mind-expanding, monumental port

I will begin this paean to Quinta do Noval LBV by getting the grubby subject of price out of the way first. My guide-recommended retail price is a shot in the dark because every merchant listed has a different price and these often move around as we approach Christmas. In any case, there is rumour of a deal at Ocado which drags this monumental creation down to a mere £17.95 and if this is the case, please donate the balance to charity.

2012 QdN LBV is an astounding wine with nobility and also showmanship in every molecule. Unfiltered, and packed with flavour, this estate-grown, foot-trodden beauty sees all of the care and attention associated with vintage port and yet it is forward-drinking, lush, swaggering and all-enveloping.

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I have nudged this mind-expanding creation back a week, simply because there was no room in my Christmas column last week to feature a seventh wine. It is, however, one of the elite septet of the season. So please cut out and keep this page and tack it onto the others from last week after the bonkers-brilliant Passito and you will send your palate into orbit.

What better present to buy yourself than a fully immersive vinous experience with 2012 Quinta do Noval LBV as the firework wine at the end of your dinner.

2012 Quinta do Noval, Late Bottled Vintage Port, Portugal (approx. £22.50, ocado.com, cambridgewine.com)

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (MatthewJukes.com).

This article was originally published in MoneyWeek