The 2000 Late Bottled Vintage Port is a blend of 40% Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Franca and 30% Tinta Roriz, aged in used Portuguese wooden vats. It comes in at 87.6 grams per liter of residual sugar. At this point in the lineup (and going forward), the vinification changes at Noval, meaning that all the grapes are 100% sourced from Noval's own vineyards. It was bottled in July 2006. In this big, rich and sexy vintage, this is surprisingly sedate on opening, more along the general stylistic lines in this LBV vertical that emphasizes elegance. Yet, don't misunderstand–because, consistent with the general pattern in Noval's lineup, this actually drinks better the next day. When it shakes off the bottle slumber the fruit seems fresh, young, rich and simply delicious giving it a vibrant, fuller bodied and lively feel. It's bursting with flavor and has an understated solidity with mild tannic pop that remains on the finish. Showing beautiful balance, it is one of the more hedonistic LBVs in this vertical from Noval, but it always demonstrates some backbone. At age 15, it also shows occasional hints of complexity to come. You can find bigger wines in this vintage, but this becomes increasingly appealing as it goes along. By Day 3, it was still drinking nicely, but it was a lot more restrained and it was good to knock it off.