Alentejeo Spotlight: on the road in Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol with some interesting wines from this Portuguese region
I’ve just been on the road. Together with João Barroso, who heads up the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program (WASP), and Catarina Balklaani of The Wine Agency in Lisbon. We visited Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol. It was like being on tour with the band, a different city each day.
The goal was twofold: to introduce the attendees to the Alentejo as a wine region through some interesting wines, and also to talk about the WASP, which is a really thoughtful sustainability scheme that has been widely adopted, and which has won 11 different awards since it was started. We tasted each wine, and then João explained some of the successful implementations of sustainability at that winery or vineyard.
There are significant benefits to a sustainability scheme like this, aside from the fact that it’s the right way to operate from a moral position. First of all, we are already experiencing the impact of climate chaos. And it’s clear that the future will be even warmer and drier. Sustainability approaches make the vineyards more resilient: without them, it’s hard to see a future for wine regions in the south of Europe. Second, customers want to see wineries implementing true sustainability. The Nordic monopolies often issue tenders that include a requirement for wineries to be certified, so it’s good for business, too.
These are my notes on the wines shown in the three masterclasses.
Manchester
Herdade de Lisboa Paço dos Infantes Antão Vaz 2024 Alentejo
12.5% alcohol. This is raised in stainless steel. Lively, assertive citrus nose with brightness. The palate is tight and compressed with a lovely acid line and sharp lemon and lime flavours. Really fresh and assertive. 91/100
Esporão Private Selection Branco 2024 Alentejo, Portugal
13% alcobhol. Semillon planted in 1996, barrel fermented in 500 litre oak. This is complex, powerful and citrussy with lovely depth of fruit, with some peachy richness and notes of honey, nuts and spice, as well as some waxiness. There’s some richness and depth here, but also a crystalline citrus character and nice acidity on the finish. 94/100
Mainova Moinante Rosé Castelão 2024 Alentejo
12.5% alcohol. 15% barrel fermentation. Pale in colour this is delicate with good acidity and some appealing grapefruit and lemon notes as well as some cherry. Lovely intensity, but also some delicacy, finishing quite complex and long. This is very impressive. 93/100
Impar Wines Vila Real Superior 2023 Alentejo
13% alcohol. A blend of Syrah, Alfrocheiro and Touriga Nacional, 20% whole bunch, with a short pre and post ferment maceration. Fresh, vivid and very fruity with some floral red fruit notes. Juicy, fruity and tart on the palate, with sweet ripe fruit but also some nice sour cherry and a sense of brightness. Juicy and tart. Delicious fruity style. 91/100
Herdade das Servas Touriga Nacional 2020 Alentejo
13.5% alcohol. This spends 12 months in oak. Floral with nice sweet berry fruits and also some wood spice and a touch of development. This is very classically styled, with some barrel imprint as well as bright fruit, with some softening of the tannins. Alentejo meets Rioja meets Bordeaux. 92/100
Quinta do Carmo Reserva Tinto 2017 Alentejo
14.5% alcohol. Alicante Bouschet and Aragonez. Brooding, dark and gravelly with bold black fruits showing nice intensity, and beginning to mellow a bit with age. But it’s still quite dark and tightwound, with lovely intensity of fruit. A big wine, but with balance. 94/100
Herdade da Candeeira Tinto 2020 Alentejo
13.5% alcohol. This field blend is fermented in stainless steel, then spends 2 years in clay vessels (talhas). Spicy, bold and with a savoury twist to the rich berry and black fruits. A warm, rich, inviting style, but showing good balance and intensity. Finishes with some freshness and a pleasing bitter twist. 91/100
José de Sousa Puro Talha 2017 Vinho de Talha Alentejo
14% alcohol. A blend of Grand Noir (a teinturier, a bit like Alicante Bouschet) with Trincadeira, Aragonez and Moreto. This is fermented and aged in large clay vessels (talhas) in an old cellar. Vivid, spicy, savoury nose with some earth and clay notes. The palate is nicely taut and bright with a juicy edge to the compact, grippy berry and cherry fruits. Nice tannins and acidity here. Lots of interest, with a damson and sour cherry finish. Not the easiest wine, but really good. 94/100
Edinburgh
Monte Branco Branco 2022 Alentejo
12.5% alcohol. 40% Arinto, 30% Rabigato, 20% Esgana Cão and 10% Galego Dourado, fermented and aged in 600 litre barrels. Limestone soils at 400 m altitude. Spicy and focused with bold citrus fruit, as well as good acidity. It’s quite serious, showing just a touch of development and some spicy framing to the citrus notes. Really impressive. 93/100
Mouchão Ponte Branco 2024 Alentejo
This is Verdelho that was top-grafted onto 21 year old Perrum vines in 2015. Fermented and aged in used French oak. Vivid, expressive and really beautifully poised, with well integrated spicy oak supporting the vivid, multidimensional citrus fruit. This is lively and expressive with great balance. So much personality. 94/100
Quinta do Paral Vinhas Velhas Branco 2019 Vidigueira, Alentejo
13.5% alcoholThis is Antão Vaz (70%), Perrum (30%), aged in new French oak barrels. Full yellow/gold in colour, this is rich and quite oaky, with sweet pear and peach fruit. There’s a lot of spicy oak here, and some may love this. Quite old-school in style (although we are not talking proper old school, when there would have been no small barrels in the region). 89/100
Antão Vaz da Malhadinha Vinha da Peceguina 2024 Alentejo
13.5% alcohol. Organic, fermented and aged in stainless steel. This is floral and expressive with lovely grapey citrus fruit, and a hint of apricot. Bright palate with lovely energy and freshness, as well as good acidity. Fruity, forward and quite delicious. 93/100
Herdade de Rocim Vinha da Talha Tinto 2024 Alentejo
12% alcohol. A blend of Moreto, Tinta Grossa, Trincadeira and Aragonez fermented and aged in large clay vessels (talhas). Floral and expressive on the nose with fresh berry fruits. On the palate this is pure and bright with some cranberry and raspberry, and some juiciness, as well as some subtle green hints. This is really elegant in style. 94/100
Tapada de Coelheiros Tinto 2021 Alentejo
14% alcohol. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon (planted 1981) and 30% Alicante Bouschet (planted 2002). 300 m altitude, dry grown. Intense, spicy nose with some savoury detail. The palate is fresh, spicy and vivid with brightness but also some development. Grippy and assertive with some firm tannins and good acidity. Grainy, gastronomic style. 91/100
Fita Preta Chão dos Eremitas Moreto 2023 Alentejo
14% alcohol. From a vineyard at 260 m in the foothills of the Serra d’Ossa, planted to Moreto in 1969-1970. Some active limestone in the granitic soils. This is really refined and elegant with lovely fruit purity, and slightly lighter in style, but not lacking any flavour. There are some spicy, woody notes in the background, but the overall impression is one of restrained power and elegance, with good acidity and some refined structure. A lovely expression of this grape variety that does well in warm, dry climates. 94/100
Adega Mayor Grande Reserva Pai Chão 2020 Alentejo
14.5% alcohol. 80% Alicante Bouschet, 20% Touriga Nacional. Fermented in large oak and matured in new French oak barrels. This is plush, ripe and rich with sleek blackberry fruit with some spicy oak quite high in the mix. A polished, ripe, modern, slightly international style of red, with lovely purity of fruit. 91/100
Cartuxa Tinto Reserva 2019 Alentejo
15% alcohol. Alicante Bouschet (65%), Aragonez (30%), Cabernet Sauvignon (5%), matured in new French oak. Ripe, lush, cedary and spicy with lovely intensity and richness. It’s a bold style with plenty of oak and a bit of alcoholic warmth, finishing with a spicy flourish, and some oaky notes. Well done in this style. 93/100
Bristol
Herdade dos Grous Concrete Branco 2024 Alentejo
13% alcohol. Arinto, fermented and aged in concrete tanks. This is fresh and citrussy with nice acidity showing precision and brightness, finishing with a really pleasing bitter twist. Good concentration and purity, with compact fruit. Really delicious, with a long, slightly mineral finish. 94/100
Adega Cooperativa Vidigueira Branco Vigueira 65 Anos 2024 Alentejo
13% alcohol. There’s a nice depth of fruit here: pear, peach, some melon and a bit of grapefruit freshness. There’s a lovely contrast between the richer fruitier notes and the bright finish. Really well made. 92/100
Paço do Conde Reserva Branco 2024 Alentejo
14% alcohol. This is 100% Antão Vaz, 9 months in French oak. This is compact with lovely pear and peach fruit with a nice lemony twist, as well as some stylish oak in the background. This is a really well made barrel-fermented white with nice precision and depth at the same time. 91/100
Ermo Wines Castelão 2021 Alentejo
12.5% alcohol. From the Serra de Mendro, this is from a 31 year old vineyard near the Guiadiano River. Destemmed and given 2 d cold maceration before fermentation, and then aged 14 months in used French oak. This has some nice depth to it, with sweet strawberry fruit as well as a touch of cherry. There’s a slight earthy, spicy quality adding a framing to the fruit. Nicely savoury, but also showing some appealing fruit. Stylish and quite intriguing. 94/100
Herdade dos Lagos HDL Amphora 2020 Alentejo
14% alcohol. 40% Syrah, 30% Touriga Nacional, 20% Alicante Bouschet and 10% Petit Syrah, organically farmed. Not made in a talha, but an amohora. This is fresh, linear and juicy, but with some nice spicy warmth to the cherry and plum fruit. There are some dusty tannins and a nice sappy freshness in the mix. There’s also a clay-like minerality. Really layered and taut, this is delicious. 94/100
Adega de Borba Havendo Tempos 2021 Alentejo
14.5% alcohol. Adega de Borba is a cooperative with 220 winegrowers and 2200 hectares of vines. This is Alicante Bouschet, Trincadeira and Alfrocheiro. Sweetly aromatic and alluring with ripe berry fruits, some spiciness and a sense of harmony. The palate shows freshness and refinement with some nice spicy detail. The oak is really well integrated, and there’s some red fruit freshness here. Very stylish. 93/100
João Portugal Ramos Marques de Borba Reserva 2021 Alentejo
14.5% alcohol. Trincadeira, Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented in lagares and then aged in new French oak for 18 months. Concentrated and sweetly fruited with focused cherry and berry fruits with a hint of blackcurrant, backed up by spicy but well integrated oak. Modern in style, made in a classic Bordeaux way, this is still a bit tight wound, oaky and tannic, but has everything needed to develop in an interesting way. Impressive. 94/100
Casa Relvas Touriga Nacional Vinha do Monte do Poço 2022 Alentejo
14% alcohol. Raised in stainless steel with oak staves. This is really bright and focused with lovely back cherry and raspberry fruit, a touch of florality, and then a lick of wood spice in the background. Really nice balance and freshness with a juicy, fruity character. Lovely drinkability, but also a hint of seriousness. 92/100
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