Owned by Filipe Vasconcellos, this historic estate with thousand-year-old trees is located in DOC Lagoa in the Algarve, the southernmost region of Portugal. The property encompasses 60 hectares of vineyards which have been in his... Read More

Owned by Filipe Vasconcellos, this historic estate with thousand-year-old trees is located in DOC Lagoa in the Algarve, the southernmost region of Portugal. The property encompasses 60 hectares of vineyards which have been in his mother’s family for generations. Recognizing the potential of these old vines, Filipe began searching for someone to help realize that potential.

Pretty soon after Filipe met Joana Maçanita, he knew she might be the one. She had viticulture insights and the minimal interventionist approach to winemaking that matches Felipe's family’s philosophy. Born in Lisbon with family from Algarve, Azores and Alentejo, Juanita brings not only engineering and agronomy degrees but also an extensive knowledge of Portugal’s terroir and a commitment to the same mission as Filipe: to show the potential of indigenous grape varieties Crato Branco and Tinta Negra Mole.

These ancient grapes, Portugal's oldest varieties, are at home in the ideal conditions of the estate. The vines are only 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean’s cool maritime influence yet warmed by the Levante winds from Africa, and the average yearly temperature is between 57-60 degrees F. Sunny Algarve is known for exceptional ripening conditions, with 3000 to 3500 daylight hours per year. The soil here is known as arenitos: iron-rich sandy loess mixed with limestone.

These old varieties are known to be finicky, ripening unevenly thus requiring multiple passes during harvest. Careful grape selection is key here as there is very little intervention in the cellar. Once fermentation is complete the wine heads into stainless steel for aging in order to enhance aromatics and retain a fresh, electric quality. Never fined or filtered, the wine gets a small dose of sulfur before bottling.

The resulting wines are very poised and aromatically pure. These are elegant wines that are true to their coastal roots.