ORGANIC Esporão Private Selection White

Tasting note BIO Esporão Private Selection White

In the glass, the wine sparkles with a bright, straw-yellow color and a hint of green at the rim. The nose opens intensely and in layers: juicy apricots, ripe lemon, pineapple, and peach are framed by toasted almonds, white pepper, nutmeg, and a subtle hint of vanilla and toast from the oak. The palate is rich and mouth-filling with a velvety texture. Despite the creaminess, the wine remains perfectly balanced by its fresh acidity. The finish is long, spicy, and subtly creamy, with a pleasant bitterness that gives the wine extra depth.

Food Pairing

This organic Esporão Private Selection White pairs perfectly with: grilled sea bass with beurre blanc, scallops with cauliflower cream, chicken in tarragon sauce, or even a vegetarian risotto with parmesan and lemon. It is also surprisingly good with Japanese tempura or tuna tataki. Due to its structure and use of oak, it can even handle lightly aged cheeses.

Other information

This is the premium white wine from the Portuguese winery Esporão.

In the heart of the warm, expansive Alentejo in southern Portugal lies the winery Herdade do Esporão, an estate that has been making a name for itself since the 1980s with quality wines that strike a balance between tradition and innovation. The Private Selection White is their flagship, which perfectly reflects this: powerful, elegant, and unusual for the region, partly thanks to the use of the rare Sémillon grape. Unprecedented in Portugal, but masterfully brought to life here.

The Private Selection White was created in 2001 from the vision of winemaker David Baverstock, who brought his Australian experience with Sémillon with him. The specific plot for this wine is cool enough to retain freshness in the grape, despite the warm climate. This ensures that the wine remains both ripe and vibrant – a rare combination in this region.

The grapes are harvested by hand early in the morning, while they are still cool. After gentle pressing, the juice is transferred to 500–550 liter French oak barrels, where alcoholic fermentation takes place at a low temperature (~18 °C). The wine then ages for 6 months on its fine lees, with regular bâtonnage (stirring) to build structure. This is followed by another 6 months of bottle aging before the wine is released to the market.

Wine scores/awards

• 95 points – Wine Enthusiast (2022 vintage)

• 93 points – Wine Enthusiast (2020 vintage)

• 92 points – Wine Enthusiast (2017 vintage)

• 91 points – Wine Enthusiast (2021 vintage)