After many years of undisturbed quietness at Herdade do Esporão cellars, these wines are now revealing their full potential, justifying their late release. “Time and experience gave us both the knowledge and confidence to focus on what we believe makes these wines unique – the long maturation period lends the wine maturity and complexity, along with an excellent ageing ability. These wines will drink beautifully now, but they also promise great ageing potential”, states Sandra Alves, chief Winemaker at Esporão.

Esporão Alicante Bouschet 2015 is both intense and concentrated, with an outstanding ageing capacity. It comes from three different vineyards, in a year that was considered ideal for this variety’s ripeness. Hand-picked, the grapes were vinified in concrete tanks at controlled temperatures. 30% of the batch aged in 5000L French oak casks, and the remaining 70% in 500L barrels. The final stage of vinification involved ageing in the cellar for an extra six years.

After aging for six years in the bottle before release, Esporão Touriga Nacional 2015 reveals itself as an intense and balanced wine with a good ageing potential. Originating from one of this variety’s oldest vineyards in Alentejo, the Badeco vineyard at Herdade do Esporão, the grapes were hand-picked, vinified in marble lagares, foot trodden, followed by malolactic fermentation in concrete tanks.

Esporão Aragonez 2016 is a concentrated wine with great aromatic elegance and excellent ageing potential. Vinified at Adega dos Lagares, the wine fermented in marble lagares, with foot treading, followed by malolactic fermentation in concrete tanks, at controlled temperatures. This intense and structured Aragonez is a true image of the grape variety at this very special vineyard, named Canto do Zé Cruz, one of the oldest blocks at Herdade do Esporão. To reinforce its ageing potential, alike the other single-varietals, the wine was aged in 5000L French oak casks, followed by five more years of bottle maturation.