Quinta do Mouro Zagalos Reserva, Alentejano 2017

When Miguel Louro bought the Quinta do Mouro estate he found a dilapidated range of buildings and neglected farmland. The property had been forcibly expropriated from its original owners, the Zagalo family, by Portugal’s right-wing dictatorship in 1974 and upon its return to the Zagalos in 1979 they found it in such a bad state that they decided to sell it.

In stepped Miguel Louro, though at first it was not his intention to grow grapes and a variety of farming styles were tried. Finally Miguel decided that vines might be more successful than sheep, which is lucky for wine lovers everywhere.

Aragonês, alicante bouschet, trincadeira, castelão and cabernet sauvignon were initially planted though the castelão was later regrafted with touriga nacional. The latter has proved to be a singular success and has featured in all the premium blends made by Miguel since, as well as proving itself worthy of being bottled as a single varietal.

Over time more vineyards have been acquired and new varieties planted or grafted, with merlot. petit verdot, alfrocheiro and petite sirah joining the available pool for blending. The blends themselves are made to reflect the various terroirs of the property. Vineyard practices change from site to site as the soils and conditions in each vineyard vary greatly. Some areas are extremely arid to the extent that irrigation is permitted.