Wine Concept

The first wine made by Esporão in 1985. Obtained from grapes grown at Herdade do Esporão, it shows the consistency and rich character typical of the best Alentejo wines. Label illustrated by António Poppe.

Agriculture

Autumn and winter were colder and wetter than the previous year, with more rain and the lowest temperatures between November and February. Nonetheless, temperatures and rain remained within the average of the past 18 years. The spring featured higher temperatures than in 2016, leading to earlier phenolic stages. The hot and dry spring guaranteed healthy grape development. Early summer started off hotter than in 2016 (+2.0ºC), which caused ripening to begin sooner. The months of August and September ended up registering lower temperatures than in 2016, with grapes ripening more quickly and higher sugar levels, leading to more full-bodied white wines with notes of ripe fruit, and rich and concentrated red wines.

SOIL TYPE
Granite/schist origin with clay/loam structure.

VINEYARD AGE
18 years

Grape Varieties

Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Trincadeira, Cabernet Sauvignon

Vinification / Maturation

Each variety harvested separately, destemmed, crushed, temperature-controlled alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel vats, concrete tanks, and small marble basins, pressed, followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks.

12 months in American (60%) and French (40%) oak barrels. After bottling, the wine aged 8 months in the bottle.

More Information

Esporão Reserva was the first wine produced by Esporão, in 1985. It was born from our desire to produce the best wines in Alentejo. Over the years, it has been a wine that has led us to innovate, to grow, to look at our origins, to care about nature and see beyond. We have adopted sustainable agricultural practices, more recently we have converted all our vineyards to organic farming, built new wineries and traveled to other markets, taking Alentejo and Portugal to the world.

Art accompanies Esporão Reserva from the first moment. Every year we invite a new artist to illustrate our labels and each work tells a story that is completed within.

Wine Makers

David Baverstock & Sandra Alves

Colour

Intense ruby red.

Aroma

Exhibits hints of wild berries and blueberry fruit jam, enveloped in coffee, black pepper and a faint toasted aroma from the keg.

Palate

In the mouth, it is intense and dense, but with robust tannins, affording it structure and complexity and suggesting good potential for aging in the bottle.

Sizes

750 ml   ·   1,5 l

Bottling

June 2019

Alcohol/Volume

14.5 %

Total Acidity

6.62 g/l

pH

3.55

Reducing Sugar / Baumé

1.9 g/l