Wine Concept

A wine with a contemporary style, having an elegant and intense profile. This wines show the character of the selected vineyard parcels on the Estate.

Agriculture

Integrated Production (certificate)

Damp, stormy weather during the spring resulted in a lower than average grape production. A mild summer with cool nights resulted in grapes of very high quality.

SOIL TYPES
Granite/schist rock with clay/loam soil.

AVERAGE AGE OF VINES
10 years

Grape Varieties

Touriga Nacional, Syrah

Vinification / Maturation

Batch vinified, fermentation in stainless steel tanks with temperature control (22ºC to 25ºC), membrane pressing, controlled malolatic fermentation.

Partly tank aged, partly aged in French oak barrels for 6 months.
6 months ageing in bottle before market release.

More Information

In the 18th century, João de Aboim, a descendent of Egas Moniz and an important figure in the time of King Afonso III, created, from the different lands given by the Monsaraz and Portel municipalities, Defesa do Esporão one of the oldest estates of this type in Southern Portugal.

Defesas were large demarcated estates that were defended against grazing cattle from other areas and directly linked to the founding of Portugal during the Christian reconquest of the south. Examples of agro-forestry and pastoralist systems, defesas had a variety of uses. Deriving from the Mediterranean forest, at the time of the founders, the defesas reclaimed land from forests for the purpose of pasture.

Defesa do Esporão was one of the key examples of this type of estate linked to the founding of Portugal. Its boundaries, which were established in the late-13th century by a charter kept at Torre do Tombo national archive, have remained unchangend until today.

For centuries, the estate has employed agro-forestry and pastoralist methods based on the preservation of biodiversity and a multifunctional system that Esporão considers best practice to protect our ecosystem.

Wine Makers

David Baverstock and Luís Patrão

Colour

Intense, deep ruby.

Aroma

Intense aromatics of flowers from Touriga Nacional with notes of chocolate and black pepper from Syrah.

Palate

Dense body from Syrah with silky Touriga Nacional texture.

Sizes

750 ml

Bottling

June 2012

Alcohol/Volume

14.5 %

Total Acidity

6.8 g/l

pH

3.57

Reducing Sugar / Baumé

2.7 g/l