The wines of Quinta do Convento, Lisboa, Portugal

The wines of Quinta do Convento
From Portugal's Lisboa region

Website: www.quintadoconvento.pt

The full name of this wine estate is Quinta do Convento de Nossa Senhora da Visitação. It’s a 50 hectare property, with 16 hectares of vineyard in the Lisboa (formerly Estremadura) region of Portugal, some 70 km north of the capital.

Average vine age is young at 6 years, although wines have been made here for 500 years. It's a family property. There’s clearly been some investment here in recent years: the winery looks very smart, and the labels have a very modern feel to them.

Soils are clay limestone, and a combination of altitude (500 m) and proximity to the Atlantic helps retain freshness in the wines. The wines? They are good, but I’d like to see just a little more fruit expression and elegance here.

THE WINES

Quinta do Convento Pinot Noir 2007 VR Lisboa, Portugal
14% alcohol. Sweet ripe cherry and berry fruits nose is quite seductive with a spicy green herby edge to it. The palate has a subtle savoury medicinal twist to the sweet cherry and plum fruit. It’s an intriguing wine: I like the elegant Pinot fruitiness, but I’m perhaps less keen on the savoury spicy character that adds a little too much sternness. 88/100

Quinta do Convento 2005 VR Estremadura, Portugal
13.5% alcohol. Spicy, fresh and earthy with some grippy tannins and hints of tar. It’s an attractrive, structured savoury wine with good acidity. Nice freshness, but also showing some signs of maturity. 87/100

Quinta do Convento Reserva 2007 VR Lisboa, Portugal
Fresh and bright with a combination of plum/damson fruit (slightly bitter, in an Italian style) with high acidity and a balsamic edge. There’s some savoury, spicy earthiness, too. A well structured, satisfying, food-friendly wine. 89/100

Quinta do Convento Merlot Touriga Nacional 2005 VR Estremadura, Portugal
13.5% alcohol. Deep coloured. Spicy, earthy, rich cedary nose with some balsamic notes. The palate shows warm, sweet, spicy earthy qualities. Rich and warm with a combination of sweet and savoury characters, but perhaps a little mushy. 86/100

Quinta do Convento Reserva 2004 VR Estremadura, Portugal
13.5% alcohol. Warm, sweetly spicy, earthy, medicinal nose. The palate is savoury and spicy with some earthiness, grippy tannins and high acidity. A bit difficult. 83/100