It's the estate's flagship wine since the first harvest was bottled in 1949, reflecting the winery's unique temperament.
Growing Conditions
Responsible vineyard care is critical to ensuring the best fruit and keeping our bees healthy. The different vineyard plots and varieties are harvested separately. Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira come from 29-year-old vines (at the time of harvest) on well-drained alluvial soils in the Carrapetos Vineyard. Since 2010, the average yield from this vineyard has been a meager 4 t/ha, contributing to significant concentration. A more mature and intense Alicante Bouschet is also included, coming from the Dourada vineyard, with clayey Mediterranean soils (with limestone profiles) and 20 years old at harvest.
Harvest
A somewhat irregular harvest, with different levels of ripeness (induced by the climate) between the different varieties.
Winemaking
Mouchão is made primarily from the finest Alicante Bouschet grapes, while the remaining blend is made from a selection of the finest Trincadeira grapes from the renowned Vinha dos Carapetos. This fortunate combination results in a wine full of personality, with a fragrant, fresh, and elegant aroma.
After hand-harvesting, the grapes are transported in small baskets to the winery, where, after expert foot-treading and fermentation in stone lagares, Mouchão rests in Portuguese oak and mahogany barrels for at least four years. This allows it to develop its full intensity, character, and robustness, but it still needs to mature in the bottle for at least another 18 months.
At Mouchão, we vinify ALL our red wines in open stone presses. Whole bunches, including stems, are included in the maceration process, making harvest time especially critical, as it requires striking a delicate balance between sugars, acids, overall phenolic ripeness (aromas, color, tannins, etc.), and stem lignification. The whole bunches, hand-picked, are transported in 14 kg boxes to the winery, where they are foot-trodden in presses and left to ferment for approximately 4 to 6 days. This young wine will undergo malolactic fermentation in the fall in large wooden barrels (5,000 L). In mid-winter, it is filtered, after which it remains in the wooden barrels, without any intervention, for approximately 3 to 4 years. After bottling, it ages in our cellars for another 4 years before release.
Nose
Intense and complex aroma of ripe berries, spice, and black olive paste. A spicy character.
Palate
The palate is dense, with firm but fine tannins, with layers of fruit, mint, and tobacco lending to the frank acidity, length, and longevity.
Its unique tannin structure enhances long bottle aging, and can improve significantly with cellaring for two decades, or even longer.
Appearance
Mouchão wine has a deep, concentrated color. Deep ruby with a closed core.
Food Pairing
Grilled meat or game dishes.