The wine is a deep garnet-red in colour. Intense aromas of ripe blackberry, plum and raspberry combine with hints of balsamic and warm spicy notes of pepper and tobacco. On the palate, it is full-bodied with firm but ripe tannins and balanced acidity, culminating in a long and complex finish.

• Feature(s): Sustainable
• Alcohol (ABV): 14.5 %
• Acidity: 5.30 g/l
• Residual sugar: 1.30 g/l
• pH: 3.60

Despite its southerly location, Vidígueira is one of the cooler Alentejo sub-regions and benefits from cool Atlantic air funnelled inland from the coast by a gap in the surrounding mountains. Limestone soils help to control vine vigour and lend elegance to the wines. All of the Herdade do Peso vineyards are sustainably farmed and an on-site reservoir provides much-needed water to irrigate the vineyards during the Alentejo summers. Grapes for the Reserva were selected from the best plots of the estate.

There was a lot of rain at the beginning of 2015, which replenished soil water reserves. Spring was drier than in previous years, with occasional rain, which allowed for favourable development of the vines. The summer was hot and dry, the typical cool nights of the Vidígueira region arriving unseasonably late, and this necessitated a meticulous selection process at harvest to ensure the fruit was picked at the optimum level of ripeness.

Grapes from the best Syrah, Aragonês, Alicante Bouschet and Touriga Nacional plots at Herdade do Peso were selected and the varieties were vinified separately before the final assemblage took place. After total destemming, individual berries were hand selected before being gently crushed. Cold soaking then took place at 10ºC for three days before fermentation in stainless-steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 28ºC for around nine days. After malolactic fermentation, the wines were transferred to French oak casks (a combination of new and first use) where they matured for around 12 months. The final blend was decided after numerous tastings to ensure that only the best casks were selected. After bottling, the wine underwent six months bottle ageing at a controlled temperature of 15ºC prior to release.

Herdade do Peso is situated in the southerly Alentejo sub-region of Vidígueira and was purchased by the Guedes family in 1996. The estate covers a total of 457 hectares, with 120 hectares of sustainably farmed vineyard, olive trees over 1,000 years old and an on-site reservoir. The talented Luís Cabral de Almeida is at the winemaking helm. He believes that “the oenologists primary role is to interpret nature” and makes expressive and generous wines that reflect the unique sense of place of this spectacular estate.