Esporão has just launched the 2019 vintage of Esporão Reserva White, the first vintage with organic certification. This vintage marks the culmination of efforts over the past 10 years to convert Herdade do Esporão vines to organic production, and represents a pivotal moment in the history of this classic wine, produced for the past 35 years. It also demonstrates the consistency and rich and typical character of the best Alentejo wines.
According to João Roquette, CEO of Esporão, “We began this work more than a decade ago confident that we could attain new levels of quality. In this process, we looked towards the future without ever renouncing the past; the classic wine we have built year after year, from the soils, vines and grapes that make this wine what it is. Instead, the decision was to treat them even better, without chemical products that interfere with the life and soil of the terrain, thereby producing wines with more identity and a sense of place.”
João Roquette adds that “It feels like a dream, but it’s real. This also represents another opportunity for Esporão to stand out as one of the leading global organic wine producers.”
The vineyards that give us this wine are the same ones used in previous vintages, and they grow older and more complex every year. Produced from traditional Alentejo white grape varieties – Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro – Esporão Reserva is vinified in a winery solely for white wines, followed by ageing in American and French oak barrels. The weather in 2019 enabled a constant and homogenous ripening, the ideal conditions to produce outstanding raw material.
With a label illustrated by the photographer Anne Geene, Esporão Reserva White 2019 has aromas of peach peel, nutmeg and white pepper. It is elegant and creamy on the palate, where fruit and spices predominate. An intense and persistent finish.