Defesa do Esporão White 2017
2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
Wine Concept
A wine with a contemporary style, as well as an elegant and intense profile. These wines convey the character of the selected and distinct parcels on the Estate.
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. From February to August/September, during the vegetative cycle, the average temperatures were higher than usual, reaching their peak on 13 July with a maximum temperature of 46.3ºC, indicating that ripening would occur earlier.
SOIL TYPE
Granite/schist origin with clay/loam structure
VINEYARDS AGE
19 years old
Grape Varieties
Antão Vaz, Arinto, RoupeiroVinification / Maturation
Destemming, must chilling, pressing, must decantation, temperature controlled inoculated fermentation with selected yeast in stainless steel tanks, centrifugation, stabilisation and filtration.
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 Sandra Alves
Colour
Crystal clear.
Aroma
Hints of yellow fruit such as apricot and plum, combined with citrus notes that magnify the freshness and intensity.
Palate
Rich and fruity, intense, balanced and persistent.