The 2000 Noval is a spectacular Vintage Port, as is the Nacional (below), but neither was hyped the way other Y2K VPs were—a good thing for those of us who loved them early on and invested in these liquid assets. Dark ruby and nearly full opacity. Aromatics and flavors include black cherry, boysenberry, and purity of grape, with hints of spice and earthy dark briar patch notes, plus kalamata. The structure of this Noval is exemplary—both the vibrancy of its acidity and the potency of its tannins, which show no astringency at all. At several blind-tasting events, I’ve chosen the regular bottling over the Nacional (and not just with the 2000 vintage). Why do I fall for the same act over and over? Simple. The Nacional is almost always more approachable as a baby than is the Noval itself. I tend to think the reverse, but it is not the case when the wines are young. (While I’m thinking of it, Noval’s 2000 Silval VP can be found in the USA for just under $30—a screaming deal!) Now back to this VP: There are so many nice things that could be said about how this Port presented at this event...But the waves of flavor, the need to swallow twice, the complexity already evident at only two decades of age (it requires an eight-hour decant for this sentence to be accurate), the beautiful texture, the intensity and length of the finish—these ought to be enough to make the case. Start drinking from around 2030 and then for three more decades plus. 95+