Herdade do Esporao

History

Founded in 1267 by Soeiro Rodrigues, judge of the city of Evora, the estate has many owners, which also includes Morgado D. Alvaro Mendes de Vasconcelos who later built the Esporao Tower. The Count of Alcacovas kept the estate in the family until 1973 when it was sold to Jose Roquette and Joaquim Bandeira.

There are three historic monuments on site: the Esporao Tower, the Esporao Arch and the Nossa Senhora dos Remedios Chapel. The Esporao Tower is one of the most important towers built during the transition from Middle Ages to the modern era, constructed between 1457 and 1490.

Over the years its splendor was lost and Esporao decided to restore it in 2003, and now becoming the symbol of Herdade do Esporao. The Esporao Arch is part of a fortified gate with a spiral staircase that leads to the ramparts, while the Nossa Senhora dos Remedios Chapel was built at the beginning of the 16^th century.

Region

Located little more than 170 km southeast of Lisbon, nearby the historical city of Reguengos de Monsaraz, in a landscape typical of Alentejo with rolling plains and shallow valleys, the climate boasts Mediterranean-continental characteristics, with hot and dry summers, mild springs and autumns with plenty of sunny days and kind winters.

Estate

The estate extends over 1800 hectares, with close to 1000 ha of forest, 450 ha of vineyards and 80 of olive groves, and at the heart is a 120 ha reservoir.

Vineyards

There is a vast range of local grapes in the vineyards, with 194 planted and 37 are in full production. Some of the vines are old and nearing 40 years of age. There are about 100 full-time employees and no need to hire seasonal workers so there is a good understanding of the vines.

There are weather stations and probes that measure soil humidity to manage irrigation, where each plot is assessed to understand the unique nature of each, to determine which varieties to grow. The estate is also in the process of certifying and converting to organic production.

There is an ampelographic field where rows of different varieties are planted for the purposes of research and development, also to preserve the heritage and examine potential.

Winemaking

Led by David Baverstock, with Luis Patrao responsible for Esporao reds, and Sandra Alves on the whites and roses. The winery is constructed in 1987, using gravity to the maximum and reduce the use of pumps and minimizing distances to affect the grapes.

One section of the winery is reserved for Monte Velho, where the wines ferment in 44000 litre tanks with an automatic pumping system, the second section has 31000 litre tanks with different pumping options, and the third section with mechanical 16000 litre presses for intense maceration and optimized extraction, used for the Esporao Reserva and single-varietal wines.

It also has a back-to-the-roots winery with lagar (traditional press) vinification, with four small temperature-controlled steel tanks combined with vertical press, with small selection of barrels from best cooperages in the world, used to vinify the best grapes by hand.

The estate also has a large barrel tunnel resembling a 15-metre wide metro tunnel buried 12 m deep, providing the best natural temperature and humidity for ageing. It houses approximately 1500 225-litre barrels of which 70% are American oak with the remaining French oak, of which 30% are replaced annually.

I have recently tasted the 2008 vintage of Private Selection Garrafeira and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with thin garnet rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (+) intensity of black fruit of blackcurrant, plum and dark cherries, red fruit of redcurrant, oak notes of vanilla, kernel notes of chocolate, maturity notes of leather, pungent spice of pepper. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry, with medium acidity and medium (+) tannin, ripe and a bit grippy on texture, the wine has medium (+) alcohol and medium (-) body, demonstrating medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and dark cherries, oak notes of vanilla, red fruit of raspberry, sweet spice of clove. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Portuguese red with good intensity and a complex nose, the wine has a surprisingly light body despite the high alcohol level, with a fair concentration on the palate of decent complexity. The finish is not particularly impressive, but nevertheless it is a nice wine that is also to drink with good nose, ready to drink now and can maintain for another 2-3 years.