Text José Silva | Translation Bruno Ferreira

The Reynolds family, who had a thriving business of Porto wine, devoted themselves, early in the nineteenth century, to the cork business in Portalegre region. And, at the end of the century, acquired a property of 900 hectares, Herdade do Mouchão, Casa Branca site, between Sousel and Mora, giving continuation to the cork production.

But, eventually, this entrepreneurial family also ended up planting vines and adding wine production to cork production.

In 1901, they built a winery with traditional adobe walls and stone lagares where the treading was made by foot.

Later, in 1929, they installed an alembic in order to produce another one of the region’s traditions, grape marc spirit – making use of the grape stems.

The wine production – only red at that time – became famous, in such a way that halfway into twentieth century the family invested in perfecting the winegrowing and winemaking practices, while maintaining the manual harvesting tradition and foot treading, which, by the way, happens until today.

Nowadays, the old manual wood presses are still used, for final extraction, a hard but rewarding labor – with results known by all.

With excellent grapes sourced from old vines (really really old nowadays), the family also started to bottle the wine in the 50’s. And so it begins, the story of one of the best and most renowned alentajanos wines, national even.

It was in Mouchão that the first experiences with the French grape variety Alicante Bouschet took place. An unloved variety in its origin country, which adapted itself quite well in Mouchão first, later across Alentejo, and is now one of the most prestigious and used varieties in the region. It’s been over 60 years now…

Some of the estate’s workers had and have a dedication to this property, dedication which has gone through several generations, such is the case of the cellar men’s. Nowadays, João Alabaça is the head of the cellar’s work and probably the one who best knows all the corners of the house. He’s also a great taster and has that contagious youthfulness of the Alentejo people.

I met and tasted many times with his father, ti João for his friends. His mother, still healthy, many times handed me the bills of the many wine boxes I stuffed my car with whenever I stopped by. Always including marc spirit, the same as today but aged in wooden casks, and the superb liqueur, a simple but awesome product.

I also had lunch there every now and then, the simple things of earth, always with bread, oil and olives.

From those visits, I still keep in my cellaret the Mouchão 1974 and a super interesting Dom Rafael 1996.

Everytime I open a bottle of one of them, they’re always very good, excellent even, and to my mind comes the ti João’s good-natured air, smiley and mischievous, raising his glass and toasting to my health.

In a recent visit to Mouchão we were welcomed by David Ferreira, performing excellently on a comercial level – with passion -, in this house as well as a bit throughout the world, and also by João Alabaça, great like his father and with the same friendship smile.

We took a tour for the winery, remembering the corners, the lagares resting quietly and peacefully, the alembic’s imposing beauty and the casks’s profusion – some of them with quite some years.

Here they use this kind of casks, most with 5000 liters of capacity, though there are also normal casks.

And there we went, to see the famous 3 and 4 casks, those that give birth to the nectar named Mouchão Tonel 3-4. And what gives it a greater exuberance, known today, is the fact that this two casks, instead of being made of French and Portuguese oak, are made of Brazilian wood (macacaúba). And so the mystery was revealed. They continue to soften wine as always.

Outside, in freezing cold winter, in Alentejo, we saw the vines, now naked and pruned, and its bucolic surroundings – the creek that crosses the property and the important surroundings of pines and stately eucalyptus.

Alentejo’s quietness could be felt everywhere.

As the cold grew stronger we went to the winery’s lab to taste some of the present Mouchão’s projects. A delight as always.

We started with D. Rafael 2013 white, full of aromatic freshness, a bit floral, very balanced. Mouth with good acidity combined with freshness, hints of white ripe fruit, attractive, silky but confident.

Then it was the Dom Rafael 2011 red, an excellent year providing this lively, persistent wine with strong hints of red fruits and somewhat smoky. The palate is still young but makes you want to drink it, round and silky tanins giving it some intensity, well-ripe red fruits, somewhat floral and some spices – a modern wine.

Followed next was Ponte das Canas 2010, still a good year. Nose already showing some elegance, red ripe fruits, light balsamic notes, very fresh. Mouth showing freshness too, intense, persistent, great acidity, tobacco, red fruits and mild vanilla hints – all well-integrated, a solid and compact wine.

At last it was the turn of Mouchão 2009, an excellent year. Intense but silky nose, with black fruits and hints of green peppers, very fresh. Mouth with a delicious complexity, black fruits aromas, full of elegance, vegetal hints of green peppers, slightly balsamic, balanced acidity, some spices, smoky – a a bodied wine yet silked at the same time, with a tremendous finish. It’s going to last many more years.

And, when we thought it was over, João Labaça, triumphantly exhibited three little bottles: the liqueur, marc spirit and old spirit. And he was peremptory: “You won’t leave without tasting them!”. At that moment I felt like I was before his father, ti João. The liqueur is still excellent, sweet but with great acidity, black fruits, chocolate, a good wine.

The marc spirit, an all-time favorite, has great complexity, intense green notes, powerful in the mouth, full of freshness and acidity but quite soft, always feel like repeating. The old spirit has a difference, aged in old wooden casks, giving it that smoky touch, vanillic, losing the the green notes, rounder, to drink in cold nights next to the fireplace.

As always, I reluctantly left Mouchão, planning however, on getting back there as soon as I can…

Contacts
Vinhos da Cavaca Dourada, SA /
Sociedade Agro-Pecuária do Mouchão e Cavaca Dourada, SA
Herdade do Mouchão
7470-153 Casa Branca – Portugal
Tel: (+351) 268 539 228
Fax: (+351) 268 539 293
E-mail: mouchao@mouchao.pt
Site: mouchao.pt