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Portugal's
Alentejo
Part
5: Esporão
Herdade do Esporão, Apartado 31, 7200-999 Reguengos
de Monsaraz, Portugal
Tel. 351 266 509270 Fax:
351 266 503586
E-mail: herdade@esporao.com
Website: www.esporao.com
UK
agent: John E. Fells (info@fells.co.uk)
The
tower at Esporao - you might recognize this from the labels
SEE
A MORE RECENT REVIEW OF ESPORAO HERE
Esporão is a huge estate in the Alentejo, with 600
hectares of vines and two wineries, one for reds and one for
whites. 9000 tons of grapes are crushed here each  vintage—that’s
a lot. You get a sense of the scale of the place as you approach
the winery, through what seem like endless vineyards. Since the
first wine was released under this label, in 1989, Esporão has
been a great ambassador for the wines of Alentejo, with a high
profile on export markets.
Unsurprisingly for a winery headed up by Aussie
winemaker David Baverstock (right), Esporão’s wines are
made in a style that is new world rather than old. The wines are
mostly labelled by variety, and they display forward fruit as
their dominant feature, in many cases accompanied by a helping of
new American oak. These are very astute, consistent commercial
wines, made in large quantities, and there’s nothing at all
wrong with the likes of Monte Velho which is cheap, reliable and
can be found everywhere.
The winery is modern, with lots of stainless steel
(some of the outdoor tanks are huge), and techniques such as
microoxygenation are employed, particularly with some of the
cheaper reds: this builds structure and gets rid of some of the
greenness associated with less than perfectly ripe grapes,
particularly when used in conjunction with oak dust during the
primary ferment. .
Monte Velho Branco 2004
The Monte Velho white and red are 600 000 litre blends. This
white shows bright lemony fruit. Crisp and fresh, this is a really
nice ‘drinking’ wine. Very good+ 87/100
Vinha da Defesa Branco 2004
Very assertive limey nose. Crisp, herby palate is concentrated
and rich. 6 g/l residual sugar gives a nice full texture. Very
good+ 88/100
 Esporão
Verdelho 2004
This is the first attempt with this variety, planted here five
years ago. Clean fresh fruity nose. The palate is quite rich and
fruity with a melony richness, some honeyed notes and nice fresh
acidity. An interesting wine. Very good+ 89/100
Esporão Branco Reserva 2004
Lovely and crisp with a lemony edge to the palate, which shows
toasty oak richness. Richly textured and accessible. Very
good/excellent 90/100
Monte Velho Tinto 2004
Made with oak chips and microoxygenation in big tanks.
American oak dust in the ferment helps get rid of green notes. The
nose shows ripe berry fruit with nice freshness an a herbal edge.
The palate is fresh and fruity with nice structure. Very appealing
– like the white, this is a delicious ‘drinking’ wine. Very
good+ 88/100
Vinha da Defesa Tinto 2003
A rather difficult vintage – phenolic development was shut
down by the heat. Really nice ripe, juicy soft red with good fruit
and some structue. Very good+ 87/100
Esporão Aragonês 2002
Dark spicy nose is quite perfumed with a savoury edge: French
oak gives finesse on the nose. The palate is chunky and spicy with
good structure. Quite tannic and savoury. A food wine. Very good+
89/100
Esporão Touriga Nacional 2002
Dark coloured. Spicy blueberry/blackberry nose with a tarry
lift. Quite perfumed. The palate is chewy, spicy and structured
with good acidity and nice intense black fruits. Savoury and
structured. Very good+ 89/100
Esporão Reserva Tinto 2002
Slightly shy savoury red fruits nose with a spicy tarry edge.
The palate shows a nice blend of red berry fruits with more of
that spicy/tarry quality. Finishes savoury, chewy and firm. Very
good+ 88/100
Esporão Garrafeira 2001
Quite a classy savoury dark fruits nose with some spicy
complexity. The palate is concentrated and dense with lots of
structure underlying the intense red and black fruits. Very tight
wound with lots of tannins: a huge effort with lots of potential
for development. Very good/excellent 92/100
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