In a nutshell, both the Esporão and Quinta dos Murças wines are made for the table and offer awesome quality for the price.

The world of wine can be a funny thing.  It seems more often than not that we are creatures of habit.  In other words, we tend to drink the same kinds of wines, even if it is a broad category of wine such as California, or French wines. I think most of us have our favorites, and we tend to stick to those.  And why not?  I think it’s human nature to stick with what is easy and familiar.

I mention this because I was introduced to the Alentejo wines in 2017 at an Appellation Alentejo Master Class presented by Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein, MS.  I thought the all the wines presented were very good to outstanding, but a couple of producers stood out for me.  One of them was Herdade do Esporão.  

Yet, I’d only had a bottle or two of Alentejo wines since then.

That’s why I was thrilled to receive and invitation for a lunch-celebration of “Esporão Day,” held June 10th to coincide with Portugal Day, an annual celebration of Portugal’s rich history and culture, and its internationally renowned national literary icon, poet Luís de Camões, who famously recorded his nation’s history and achievements.

The event, hosted by Master Sommelier David Glancy, included various wine and food industry professionals. The event  offered a chance discover and learn more about Esporão’ over a two-course meal at Uma Casa restaurant in San Francisco, paired with a selection of selection of new vintages from Esporão’s Herdade do Esporão estate in Portugal’s Alentejo region and its Quinta dos Murças property in the Douro Valley.

Yes, please!

We tasted 10 wines including the 6 white wines seen below, and 4 red wines (sorry, had such a great time forgot to take of photo of the reds served that day, but not to worry, I had second chance later)

The white wines tasted at lunch included:

• 2018 Assobio Branco, Douro
• 2018 Monte Velho Branco, Alentejo s delicious.
• 2017 Esporão Verdelho Branco, Alentejo
• 2018 Esporão Colheita Branco, Alentejo
• 2017 Esporão Reserva Branco, Alentejo
• 2016 Esporão Private Selection Branco, Alentejo

We tasted the white wines through the first course (menu below) which was Seared Scallops with creamed corn, pea shoots, and nectarine “molho cru”.  My two favorite pairings with the first course were the Esporão Verdelho Branco, and the Esporão Private Selection Branco.  The Verdelho showed a light-bodied, very fresh, apricot, pear citrus character accented with an appealing minerality. The Esporão Private Selection Branco, a blend of 95% Semillon and 5% field blend was a more full-bodied rich wine (it was barrel fermented), that showed a harmonious apricot, white peach honey, grapefruit character accented with beautifully integrated toasted oak and savory herbs.

The red wines tasted at lunch included:

• 2017 Esporão Colheita Tinto, Alentejo
• 2017 Quinta dos Murças Minas Tinto, Douro
• 2012 Quinta dos Murças Reserva Tinto, Douro
• 2011 Esporão Reserva Tinto, Alentejo

Then subsequent to the event I received samples of the first, second, and fourth wines noted above, along with fifth wine noted in the white wine flight above. I also received a sample of Esporão Olival dos Arrifes Organic Oil, which was just awarded a Gold Medal at one of the largest and most important olive oil competitions in the world, NYIOOC – World Olive Oil Competition in New York. 

The second course of the lunch was Lombinho de Porco Recheado. Dried fig & pistachio stuffed pork tenderloin, fava puree, cherry & red wine reduction, radish. Oh man was the pork tenderloin cooked to perfection!  All the wines paired well with the dish but my favorite was the 2017 Quinta dos Murças Minas Tinto. 

You’ll find my detailed tasting notes on the sample wines received below:

2017 Herdade do Esporão Esporão Reserva Branco – Portugal, Alentejano, Alentejo
Color – Pale yellow
Aromas – Peach, apricot, honey, citrus, white flowers, and a bit of ocean spray
Body – Medium-bodied with zesty medium acidity
Taste – Ripe peach, pineapple, melon, honey, Meyer lemon, dried apricot, savory spice with an appealing saline minerality.
Finish – Medium+

14.5% abv| SRP – $12.50 per Wine-Searcher. Blend of Antao Vaz, Arinto, Roupeiro and others sourced from certified organic vineyards. Aged six months in a mix of stainless steel, and some new French and American oak. Awesome QPR! (89 pts.)

2014 Herdade do Esporão Esporão Reserva – Portugal, Alentejano, Alentejo
Color – Opaque black red
Aromas – Black fruit, roast coffee, dark chocolate, violets, black licorice
Body – Medium-bodied and juicy with
Taste – Plum, ripe blackberry, cassis, licorice and graphite
Finish – Medium+

Blend of Aragonez, Trincadeira, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet. Matured for 12 months in 60% American oak and 40% French oak barrels. Following bottling, the wine was aged for at least 8 months before market release| 14.5% abv| SRP = $25 (90 pts.)

2017 Herdade do Esporão Alentejo Colheita – Portugal, Alentejano, Alentejo
Color – Opaque ruby
Aromas – Plum, black currant, espresso, leather, and black licorice with savory spice notes
Body – Medium-bodied and fresh with firm sweet tannins
Taste – Black plum, black cherry, black currant, espresso, bittersweet chocolate and savory spice with an appealing graphite minerality.
Finish – Medium

Wine produced solely from grapes grown at Herdade do Esporão, under organic farming practices, which conveys the typical features of the vintage, the diversity of the soils where the vines are planted, and the character and identity of the grape varieties selected. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Cabernet, Aragonez and other varieties, co-fermented, foot treading, aging in concrete for 6 months 14.5% abv. |SRP – $10 per Wine-Searcher.com. Again, awesome QPR! (89 pts.)

2016 Herdade do Esporão Douro Minas Quinta dos Murças – Portugal, Douro
Color – Opaque purple
Aromas – Black and red fruit, anise, espresso bean, balsamic, and graphite
Body – between medium and full-bodied, with vibrant acidity and firm slightly drying velvety tannins
Taste – Black currant, plum, Black Cherry, espresso, dried herb, and graphite flavors with an alluring minerality
Finish – medium plus 13.5% abv|SRP – $15 per WineSearcher.com (90 pts.)

A blend of comprised of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Roriz and Tinto Cão; Aged in concrete vats and used French oak casks for 9 months.

About Herdade do Esporão

Esporão (pronounced “ESH-paw-row) was established in 1973 by José Roquette and Joaquim Bandeira in Reguengos de Monsaraz, in the Alentejo region, southeast of Lisboa.  They are one of Portugal’s best-known wine producers and considered one of Portugal’s leading wine ambassadors abroad.

They farm about 1,700 acres of vineyards, olive groves and vegetables. The vineyards are focused on indigenous grape varieties with more than 40 varieties in the vineyards. A long-time leader in sustainability practices, Esporão is in the vanguard when it comes to organic farming, and expects to be fully organically certified by 2021.

In 2008 Esporão purchased Quinta dos Murças, which straddles the Baixo and Cima-Corgo sub-regions of the Douro. Winemaking dates back to 1714 on this estate perched on some of the steepest slopes in the Douro region. Quinta dos Murças is comprised of 300 acres and is planted to 118 indigenous grape varieties in some 50 plots.

Australian winemaker, David Baverstock, became chief winemaker for Esporão in 1996 and is credited with lifting the quality of its wines. In 2014 Portuguese winemaker, Sandra Alves, joined Esporão as white wine and rosé winemaker before transitioning to overseeing the winery’s red wine production.

Their winemaking practices includes a combination of traditional and new techniques including the use of  traditional clay amphorae (talhas in Portuguese) alongside modern stainless steel tanks and new oak barrels, both American and French.

Esporão offers wine tourism that includes options for wine tasting, dining, bike riding, olive oil tasting, or touring their Historic Centre in the Alentejo and at Quinta dos Murças in the Douro.

My Take Aways

In a nutshell, both the Esporão and Quinta dos Murças wines are made for the table and offer awesome quality for the price.  Additionally, their commitment to organic farming is a huge plus for me.  I highly recommend you join me in seeking out both brands!

Many thanks to Creative Palate Communications for inviting me to experience the exciting wines of Esporão at this lunch and the subsequent samples.