Wine Concept

Esporão Private Selection Red is a continuation of Esporão ‘Garrafeira’ Red which was first launched in 1987. Initially, it was a selection of the best barrels of Esporão Reserva Red but, with time and a better understanding of our own grapes, the wine evolved into a selection of the best parcels from our estate vineyards. At the end of the 90’s decade, we built a boutique winery exclusively for producing this wine, giving it the care and attention it deserved. Private Selection is our concept of the classic Alentejo ‘Garrafeira’: intense, complex and with rich aromatics without excesses and a well balanced palate with structure for long term ageing.

Agriculture

2013 had a rainy Spring followed by a dry Summer with high temperatures during the day, offset by chilly evenings, allowing consistently ideal ripening of grapes.

SOIL TYPE

Canto do Zé Cruz vineyard – The soils are clay-loam with stony outcrops of granite.

Telheiro vineyard – The soil is of schistous origin, stony and skeletal.

Palmeiras vineyard – Deep clay soils.

Grape Varieties

Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Syrah

Vinification / Maturation

Each variety was vinified and aged separately. Syrah and Aragonez were fermented in small open stainless steel fermenters, with regular pumpovers and foot treading employed during the fermentation phase. Alicante Bouschet is fermented in a small static closed fermenter with regular pumpovers. This is a milder fermentation regime because of the softer skin of this variety and the potential for over extraction. After pressing, the varieties are kept separate to assess their quality potential. Malolactic fermentation takes place naturally in the barrel.

Ageing takes place in 30% new and 70% used one year old 225 liter French oak barrels. After 18 months ageing, with only one transfer after the completion of the malolactic fermentation, the final blends are made. Bottling was done on 25th June 2015 with only a light pre filtration and no fining.

More Information

Private Selection Red:

Over time, we have been expanding the knowledge about our land in Alentejo. We have a better understanding of its potential and make the most of the uniqueness of the vineyards to produce fine wines, at nature’s pace.

That knowledge takes shape in Private Selection, through a combination of select parcels from the different territories, along with separate vinification and ageing, according to each variety’s profile. This is a full-bodied wine, with texture, intensity, and vitality, that reflects the diversity and richness of Esporão’s territories in Alentejo and, in exceptional years, results in Torre do Esporão.

Private Selection White:

Esporão Private Selection white was launched in 2001 under the name “Garrafeira”. The desire to make a distinctive white wine that would challenge the classic profile of the great wines of the Alentejo, led winemaker David Baverstock to bring the Sémillon grape variety from Australia to our Herdade dos Perdigões estate. This French origin grape variety is iconic in the Barrosa Valley region of Australia, where it grows in a climate similar to that of the Alentejo.

Planted in granitic soils, clayey and deep, the Palmeiras vineyard has adapted well to our soils and the Alentejo heat. It is from this vineyard that the Private Selection White was born.

Every year we invite a new artist to illustrate our labels, and every piece of artwork has its own individual story to tell.

Vineyard

The blend is predominantly Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez and Syrah. Each variety is grown in a distinct part of our estate vineyards where, with a more concise viticultural approach, we can achieve a pure expression of each variety. Aragonez originates in the ‘Canto do Zé Cruz’ vineyard, planted in 1980. The soils are clay-loam with stony outcrops of granite. Perhaps because of its age, this is the last of the Aragonez parcels to be harvested, allowing for a longer phenolic maturation period and a wine with perfume and vibrancy. Syrah comes from the ‘Telheiro’ vineyard planted in 1998. The soil is of schistous origin, stony and skeletal. Berries are very small and oval shaped, and because of the poor nature of the soil, yields are extremely low, resulting in wines of great power and concentration. Alicante Bouschet originates from the ‘Palmeiras’ vineyard in the neighbouring Perdigões estate and was planted in 1996. It is a hillside vineyard with deep clay soils. Despite this variety being a high yielder, the exposition of this vineyard and good drainage conditions, coupled with bunch thinning, allows for more balanced yields with concentrated berries and wines with great intensity.

Wine Makers

David Baverstock and Sandra Alves

Colour

Deep, dense dark red.

Aroma

Dark berry fruits, mainly blackberries, mocha and dark chocolate notes, smoke and leather complexity.

Palate

Deep and dense fruit on palate, creamy texture, good supporting tannin structure, long and persistent finish.

Sizes

750 ml   ·   1,5 l

Bottling

June 2015

Alcohol/Volume

14.5 %

Total Acidity

6.8 g/l

pH

3.55

Reducing Sugar / Baumé

2.2 g/l