This is a tale of two very different wine regions. One, Vinho Verde, is lush and green, and most noted for light, frizzy wines meant to drink young. The other, the Douro, is much more famous, hot and dry, and has a long history of rich red wines. Interestingly enough, they are only about an hour’s drive apart. This is good, considering the winemaker at both properties we’ll review here is the same person. Keeping tabs on the two estates would be much harder if they were widely separated, but the climate changes here happen over very short distances.
The two estates are part of the portfolio of Esporão, which owns over 800 hectares of vineyard and olive groves in Portugal. Started in 1973 in the Alentjo DOC, they produced their first bottle of wine in 1985. The business has grown since then, and they added Quinta dos Murças in the Douro in 2008. The Quinta do Ameal estate in Vinho Verde followed in 2019. Today the firm is managed by 8 members of the first and second generation, and the focus is on organic, sustainable practices.
Ze Luis
José Luis Moreira da Silva, familiarly known as “Zé Luis”, makes wine at Quinta do Ameal in Vinho Verde and Quinta dos Murças in the Douro region of Portugal. Zé Luis takes a low key approach to his craft, and his goal is to produce the best wine which exhibits the traditional expression of the region and the terroir. As he himself states, “the winemaker should have a silent signature”.
The two wineries present very different soils, climates and raw material for him to work his magic. In Vinho Verde the temperatures are cooler and there is plenty of rain. Zé Luis described it as “fresh, rich soil, green with lower temperatures”. Much of the wine from here has recently been very light in body, with effervescence and bright fruit. It tends to be lower in alcohol, and many have a slight sweetness. This is not the style of Quinta do Ameal. When it was planted with the Loureiro grape the vision was to make dry, more serious wines, with some aging potential. As you will see below, this has certainly been achieved.
Here are the two wines we have for review from Vinho Verde, and Quinta do Ameal:
2020 Quinta do Ameal Bico Amarelo – This year started colder than normal, but grew
warmer in July. August brought cooler temperatures and rain. All together it worked, and the grapes reached optimal ripeness, while retaining acidity. Hand picked, the pressed grapes stayed on the must for 48 hours. After fermentation the juice stayed on the lees for 4-6 months in stainless steel. Our impressions:
This is straw colored with green tones. The nose brings lemon and tart grapefruit. Even though there was extended contact with the lees that doesn’t really come across. I would expect more texture and a bit of creaminess. It is very clean, crisp and finishes long. SRP of $12 and an excellent value there.
2020 Quinta do Ameal Loureiro – Conditions were the same as for the wine above. This juice
also saw the cold maceration perod, as well as about 7 months on the lees after fermentation. In this case that is clearly evident:
This is light straw in color, with a nose of grapefruit and lemon, as well as other citrus. The palate is bright, crisp and carries good acid. In this wine the lees contact is visible, and the wine has some texture and body. It seems bigger than the actual alcohol content of 11.5%. The added dimension from the lees elevates it, and it is an overall pretty wonderful white wine. The wine will stand up to food, but is delicious on its own. This has an SRP of $18 and is a screaming value. We’ll add it to our Value List and will be in contention for our best wines of the year list. Really good juice here.
Murcas Vineyards
In the Douro, life is much different for a winemaker. Zé Luis uses the words “difficult, hard, warm and dry” to describe the region. Rich, tannic reds are much more the norm here. The wines from the famous port houses of the region are probably best known, but the Douro produces a huge amount of dry red wine as well. Quinto dos Murças is a rough terroir, with a wide variety of micro climates. The vineyard and winery has transitioned to fully organic production.
We also have two wines for review from Quinta dos Murças:
2018 Murças Minas – From vineyards at elevations between 360 and 1000 feet, the vines here
are south facing, and there are five water springs that help to cool the area and terroir. The springs are know as “minas”. The weather in 2018 was atypically cold and dry, especially in the Spring and early Summer. Toward the end of summer it became hot, but still dry. Ripening occurred late, and production was down What did we think?
This juice is medium dark, reddish purple. The nose is full of raspberry, with some chalk and floral notes. This seems to have a strong sense of terroir. It is lively on the palate. Tannins are firm but very approachable. The wine is medium bodied, balanced with vibrant acidity and finishes with good length. It is a bit on the lighter side, and would serve you well with food. At an SRP of $24 this wine is fairly priced.
201 7Murças Assobio Red – Assobio means “whistle” in Portuguese. The vineyard is in a steep
valley, and when the wind blows there it creates a whistle-like sound. From a very hot and dry year, and an early harvest, the grapes are hand picked. A pre-fermentation cold soak extracts color and depth. Only 10% of the wine is aged in oak casks for 6 months. Our thoughts:
The wine is a medium dark, dusty purplish red. It has a restrained nose of red fruits with floral notes. On the palate it is medium bodied, with beautiful red fruits forming the core. Some herbal notes accent the flavor profile. It stays focused through the mid-palate. Tannins are mild, and the wine has a good freshness and balance. A long finish caps it off. This is a good food wine, not heavy or intense. At $14 SRP it is a good value as well.
What we’ve seen from the above is a wide range of talent from this winemaker. The fruit is drastically different, as are the traditional representations of the wines from the two regions. In both cases I think Zé Luis has tried to achieve something slightly different than what most people would expect. The wines from Vinho Verde are dry and more significant than most typical Vinho Verde offerings. The Loureiro is pretty amazing for its price, and based on value probably lands a spot on our list of the top wines of 2021, but you’ll have to wait until the end of the year to find out. The reds are medium bodied, and not the tannic, full bodied wines you might expect from the Douro. I suspect the styles are very true to what the regions terroir represent, and the people who live there prefer. That would make them truly traditional wines.
These are all good, and some represent great values.
A votre santé!
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