Quinta do Monte d'Oiro

In 1990, José Bento dos Santos, the renowned gastronome and businessman acquired an estate in Alenquer, near Lisbon, where he started to create exceptional wines. A quarter of a century later, the presence of those wines in some of the best restaurants in the world, as well as the abundance of accolades attributed by the national and international critics’ elite, prove the greatness of his talent and the seriousness of his intentions.

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Quinta do Monte D’Oiro rises in a privileged terroir in Alenquer, near Lisbon. It stands out by the clay-limestone soils, by its Mediterranean with Atlantic influence microclimate and by the constant breeze that contributes to slow maturations, good acidity, soft tannins and the full preservation of the aromas of the outstanding wines they produce.

Acquired in the beginning of the 90’s by José Bento dos Santos, a well known personality of the Portuguese gastronomy world, the Estate was soon consecrated to the creation of wines with enormous character, complex, filled with freshness and elegance.

Grégory Viennois, the oenologist that assists in the Estate, practices an organic viticulture that favors the most delicate expression of the terroir. The vine varieties that grow in the Estate disclose a peculiar French influence: the Syrah, so typical of Côtes-du-Rhône, the Viognier, the Cinsault and the Petit Verdot. A plot of an old vineyard that belonged to the Viscount of Chanceleiros was left untouched.

With very low production income, soft winemaking and ageing in the best French oak, José Bento dos Santos has conquered from the beginning the enthusiastic acceptance of the most demanding international Wine Critics.

The Quinta do Monte d’Oiro wines have gathered countless distinctions: à vol d’oiseau we highlight six Excelence awards in Revista de Vinhos, 15 wines appointed as The Best of the Year by the critic João Paulo Martins, 28 wines among the Top of Wine Magazine, a trophy of Best Wine of the Iberian Peninsula and 25 Robert Parker classifications in the 90-95 points category. Several of these wines integrate the wine lists of Alain Ducasse’s restaurants and the best there is in the world gastronomy.

The wine guide Vinhos de Portugal, in its 2016 edition, widely praises the exclusive portfolio of the winery. The Lybra wines, red, white and rosé, are acclaimed by their liveliness and elegance. The Madrigal ones, with clean, delicate, harmonious white wines, display all the strength of the Viognier.

José Bento dos Santos’ special cuvées stand as a wine making art delicacies’ catalogue. We may start with the red Syrah 24, originated from a numbered part which best showed the vine variety. João Paulo Martins attributes this wine the rare score of 18, specifying the “excellent fruit, luxury tannins, an involving acidity and a classy style that only needs some time in the cellar to reveal its fullness”.

An incursion in the Tinta Roriz vine variety would originate the red Têmpera, a noble wine, full of character whilst the happy combination of Syrah and Touriga Nacional would decline both in the Aurius, an opulent blend, refined, that displays all the strength of the Portuguese vine variety and in a very special project: Ex Aequo, the celebration of a friendship between Bento dos Santos and Michel Chapoutier – a well-known producer from the Rhône. This concentrated, involving, polished wine has obtained 95 Parker points.

The red reserve Quinta do Monte d’Oiro, higher expression of the terroir and recognized internationally as the best Syrah of the Iberian Peninsula has been awarded with a similar distinction.

In a path of only a few decades, the Quinta do Monte d’Oiro wines have rehearsed several approaches to excellence earning the boundless admiration of the most demanding wine lovers of the civilized world. Its portfolio constitutes one of the best good taste schools available in Portugal.