Murcas Reserva Esporao Portugal

Intro to Murcas Reserva Esporao Portugal –

Murcas Reserva made by Esporao in the Douro in Portugal is complex and fruity on nose and palate which is longlasting.

Full tasting note and wine making –

Murcas Reserva has a complex, fresh and elegant aroma of dark berry fruits, with balsamic notes and integrated spicy notes from oak barrel ageing. Firm and concentrated palate with balancing and present acidity, well-integrated mature tannins and it is long and persistent on the finish, balanced and elegant, with fruit notes.
Quinta dos Murças Reserva comes from old vines (35-40+ year old) planted at altitudes between 150m (490 ft) and
280m (915 ft), facing west. This is the classic version of a ‘quinta’ (estate) wine, where the emphasis is on the terroir
to produce elegent wines with great ageing potential.
The hand-picked grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in granite ‘lagares’, with foot treading and pressing in an old-style vertical press. It is aged in used French oak casks for 12 months.

The producer –

Dating back to 1714, Quinta dos Murças is located in northern Portugal, in the Cima-Corgo sub-region of the Douro Valley, the oldest DOC region in the world.

The Quinta dos Murças estate is situated on the right bank of the river, between the towns of Régua and Pinhão, nearly 2 hours due east of Porto. Stretching over 3.2km along the riverfront, mainly with southern exposure, the estate encompasses a total of 155ha, of which 48ha are covered by vineyards planted with indigenous grape varieties.

Quinta dos Murças’s unique estate is characterised by its 8 diverse terroirs, which are distinguished by different altitudes, exposures, variations of schist soils and vertical vineyards. In addition to the vineyards, the olive, orange and almond trees and the surrounding forest support biodiversity and promote the balance of the local ecosystem.

In 1947, the estate pioneered the first vertical vineyard planting in the Douro region and today, 82% of the estate vineyards are positioned vertically, on steep slopes.

The Quinta dos Murças team believe that vertical vineyards produce wines that better express terroir due to a number of reasons: Planting density (the number of plants per ha) is higher with more competition between plants, which means that the roots burrow deeper, leading to greater expression of soil types. Moreover, sun exposure is more uniform, as there is no shadow from the slope, nor the vine itself. There is also greater aeration, which helps prevent disease and less erosion, increasing the preservation of terroir.

Quinta dos Murças wines benefit from their unique location bordering 2 of the Douro’s sub-regions: Baixo Corgo’s cooler, rainier climate imparts freshness and acidity to the grapes, while they obtain concentration and structure from Cima Corgo’s warmer temperatures, in combination with 3.2km river bank and 5 water springs, resulting in elegant, terroir-driven wines.

As of 2021, all Quinta dos Murças wines are certified organic.

Drink with –

Gfreat with grilled and roasted red meats, pizza, pasta, casseroles, stews, mild creamy cheeses, mature strong cheeses, creamy mushroom risotto.