Herdade do Mouchão & the Apex of Alicante Bouschet

The exceptional Alentejo producer Herdade do Mouchão still operates in the original winery, built in 1901.

You’d never find it if you weren’t searching for it. Leaving the small Alentejo village of Estremoz, you pass copses of cork trees before pulling onto a bumpy, winding dirt road littered with boar tracks. Tucked back alongside a sleepy creek bed, Herdade do Mouchão is one of the most memorable wineries I’ve ever visited.

Here, in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal, the Herdade do Mouchão winery seems frozen in time. Oporto resident Thomas Reynolds moved to this rural and largely untouched region around the turn of the 20th Century, mostly to get into the flourishing cork business. He planted vines and built a winery in 1901. A distillery was added in 1929 to produce brandy, and his descendants planted more vines throughout the middle of the 20th Century. Following Portugal’s revolution in 1974, the state expropriated the estate, which deteriorated until it was returned to the family in 1985.

Herdade do Mouchão ages its top wines in old and large (500-liter) casks made of mahogany.

That original winery (which operated without electricity until 1991!) is still in use today, and defines the aesthetic and purpose of Herdade do Mouchão in the 21st Century. The estate is currently run by Elizabeth (daughter of former winemaker Albert Hugh Reynolds) and Iain Richardson. On a June trip to this estate, Iain told me his goal is to preserve that special history. “We want to keep it that way,” he said. “We want to make wines the old way.”

And every aspect of the winemaking here harkens back to a time long past. “There’s really not much sophistication,” Iain said, describing the winemaking style as “rudimentary, in the best sense of the word.” The winery uses only estate grapes, sourced from 40 hectares of vines. (The rest of the massive 1,000 hectare estate is mostly cork forests, with about 50 hectares of olive trees as well.

The grapes are hand harvested and dumped through old wooden windows into large cement fermentation tubs, called lagares, and workers stomp the grapes with their bare feet twice a day for about a week. Some of the wines are then transferred to stainless steel or small oak barrels, some of the only signs of relatively modern technology, while the high-end wines are aged in old 500-liter vats, made from mahogany wood.

While the winery produces some white wine (a blend of indigenous Portuguese varieties), the lynchpin of Herdade do Mouchão is the Alicante Bouschet grape. This grape was created in France in the 1860s, when Henri Bouschet crossed the grape Petite Bouschet (itself a cross between two obscure varieties) with Grenache. Alentejo became the grape’s adopted home, however, largely due to the efforts of Herdade do Mouchão.

Iain Richardson shows off the estate's oldest Alicante Bouschet vines, which go into the estate's flagship bottling.

The grape flourished after the outbreak of phylloxera, when winemakers found its relatively high yields to be an attractive pursuit. The grape ripens early and has a rare dark-colored pulp, so finished wines contain not only color from the grape skins, but from the juice itself. Alicante can produce wines with high alcohol and strong tannins, but the best growers know how to harness greatness from this grape. And, it seems to me, Herdade do Mouchão is the apex of Alicante.

For the winery’s Dom Rafael red blend, Iain blends in Trincadeira and Aragonez (aka Tempranillo) with Alicante, while the winery’s flagship wine, Mouchão, is made up of about 90% Alicante Bouschet with some Trincadeira. I was only able to taste one vintage of this glorious wine, the 2013, but it was easily the “greatest” wine I tasted on the trip. Delicious, fascinating, unique, and capable of aging decades, easily. Mouchão also produces a Port-style fortified Alicante Bouschet that is also amazing.

Below, I’ve included tasting notes on all the wines I tasted while visiting with Iain.

Winemaker Iain Richardson is an Alicante wizard.

2017 Herdade do Mouchão Dom Rafael Branco
This was one of the most surprising wines of the trip for me, as I was expecting a basic entry-level white and found an exciting, complex, thrilling wine. So floral and bright on the nose with lemons, apricots, crust sea salt, cucumber slices, baby's breath. Medium-bodied palate, rich texture but so crisp and lively, with a deep, underlying mineral presence. Lemon, lime, apricot, topped in lemon verbena, honeysuckle, baby's breath. Chalky finish. Wow. Antão Vaz, Arinto, Perrum and Fernão Pires. (91 points)

2015 Herdade do Mouchão Dom Rafael Tinto
As I tasted this, I thought: If this is the entry-level red, I am in for a serious treat. This is exceptionally good, fresh, inviting, complex yet so easy to drink. Floral (violets and roses) on the nose, with raspberries, black cherries, pepper and earth, gorgeous stuff. Bold presence but so balanced on the palate, built well but medium acidity. Juicy black cherry fruit laced with roses, bay leaf and black pepper. Alicante Bouschet, Trincadeira and Aragonez. (90 points)

2014 Herdade do Mouchão Ponte das Canas
Gorgeous depth of fruit on the nose (blackberry, black cherry, plum) along with complex earth, tar, pepper, violets. Structured with grippy tannins yet fresh acidity on the palate, the balance is so nice. Black cherries and plums mix wonderfully with roasted herbs, coffee, iron, black pepper. Long finish with earth and minerals. Concentrated yet not harsh, this will age 5-8 years easily. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Syrah, aged in 300-liter French oak barrels for 24 months, aged a year in bottle before release. (92 points)

2013 Herdade do Mouchão
Oh my god this wine is fantastic. I could not believe my senses, it was that good. Incredible depth on the nose: blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, with complex violets, leather, incense sticks, rosemary, mint - just endless nuance on the nose. Concentrated, rich, deep on the palate, this is incredibly young but the quality is undeniable. Tannic yet somehow velvety, big yet somehow not too heavy. Blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, the fruit is pure, vibrant, complex, layered. Complex elements of loam, scorched earth, black pepper, incense sticks, bay leaf, mushroom. Deep earthy-mineral tones. This could be aged for three decades or something, it has that level of depth. Alicante Bouschet with about 10% Trincadeira. The wine of the trip for me. (96 points)

2012 Herdade do Mouchão Alentejo Vinho Licoroso
Really solid fortified Alicante Bouschet from Mouchao. On the nose, I get blueberries, fig cookies, roasted plums, candied pecans, clove. Rich texture, tannins are grippy but have rounded edges, little bit of acidity helps it stay moving. Warm, sweet but woven together well, delicious plum cake, blackberry jam and roasted figs. I get notes of coconut, cinnamon, cocoa powder, sweet espresso. Earthy, charcoal notes on the finish. Very impressed with this wine. (92 points)