All Port wines come exclusively from the Douro Valley which was demarcated more than 260 years ago. With this long history, come a genuine charm but also a regulation and complexity that put high barriers to new comers and innovation. Read here how Noble & Murat, a new player, is building a new space for itself.
When Alexandre Antas Botelho came to see Brand Reveal, he knew he could count on our Port (Graham’s, Cockburn’s…) and spirits experience. Alexandre, with only 32 years old, is a true history enthusiast and acquired the rights of the “Noble & Murat” trade mark, a dormant name. To bring the brand to life, we had to find the common ground between the Quintas, the Noble & Murat history and the consumer occasion.
The wine production is under Alexandre’s uncle responsibility, Antonio Borges Taveira. Together, they have been producing wines since 2012 for Late Bottled Vintages (LBV). Their quinta is small and each harvest is foot trodden, which is worth noting as only 1% of Port wines are foot trodden today. Also, most of the Quinta’s vines are 80 years or more : at that age, vines have roots that can plunge down 2 to 3 meter to get water, making them quite resistant to dry weather.
Noble & Murat is one of the early Port Trading houses that played a pioneering role in the growth of Port wines in the XIXth century. The company grew as a “General Trader” in the commerce of wine, oranges, cod, glass and iron.
In 1831, the company took the C H Noble & Murat name: Charles Henry Noble was a notable business man whose friend would remember him with the toast “Noble by name and Noble by nature”. His partner, Joseph Murat was a fine wine enthusiast: his great great grandson is credited with the first recorded description in 1925 of what we know today “Late Bottle Vintage” Ports or LBV’s.
We then worked on the occasion and benefit that match this history of partnerships, attention to details, respect and enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. Given the product quality and the discretion of its team, Noble & Murat has a natural space among a discerning audience, in moments with friends or family, where we appreciate the company of those we can’t see often enough, like at the end of a good meal.
Noble & Murat is not another wine specialist for geeks, but it is there because Alexandre and Antonio feel that strong roots are what keeps us together, old and young generations. And so, in a shallow world where people need strong bonds, Noble & Murat reinforces roots. Because it is made with antique artisan techniques from old vines which had the time to develop strong roots for classic Port wines, in the partnership philosophy of one of the oldest Port merchant houses.