Esporão Colheita White 2024

Esporão farms 460 hectares in the Alentejo in southern Portugal, all cultivated organically, and this Colheita white is aged on its lees. The Alentejo is a warm, dry region of hot summers and low rainfall, conditions that ripen the fruit fully and give the wine its generous stone and tropical fruit character. The blend is led by Antão Vaz, the region's workhorse white grape, valued for holding structure and freshness in the heat, alongside Viosinho for aromatic lift. The wine is fermented and aged for four months on its lees in stainless steel tanks; the steel preserves bright primary fruit while the lees contact builds texture and a savoury weight, the slow breakdown of spent yeast releasing mannoproteins that round the palate without any oak involvement. The result is a fuller style of white balanced by fresh acidity rather than a lean, cutting one. It shows medium straw in the glass, with ripe peach, melon and orange over a subtle nutty, savoury note from the lees. The palate is round and textured, the warm-climate fruit held in check by good acidity, finishing clean and long. Serve at 9 to 11 degrees. It suits grilled fish, roast chicken and shellfish.