Quinta dos Roques

Luis Lourenco & family, Abrunhosa do Mato, Portugal

Winemaker Luis Lourenco and João Santiago

Region Dão

Country Portugal

Soil Type Granite

Main Varieties Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro

This unique family-owned estate in the northern Dão region has long been both a pioneer and champion of local grape varieties. They were the first to bottle a varietal Encruzado back in 1998, overturning the regional commissions insistence that Dão DOC whites had to be blends of different grapes. Quinta dos Roques Encruzado is now and continues to prove itself a benchamark of this variety.

This approach to what they grow and make is part of the Lourenço family DNA now in its 3rd generation. From their groundbreaking first estate bottlings in 1990 they have ceaselessly strived to maintain a core authenticity to their wines. This comes about through sustainable and regenerative viticultural practices (well before they became fashionable) that enable a de facto organic/biodynamic status vineyards (35Ha) producing healthy flavour packed grapes, and both traditional blends and varietal offerings excel.

The Touriga Nacional here is often cited as Portugal's finest, but perhaps the estate is best judged by Quinta dos Roques Tinto, a classic, Touriga-inspired Dao red which regularly tops the ratings. Recently a single plot Alfrocheiro epitomises the vibrancy and energy of this less-mentioned grape.

www.quintaroques.pt