Review: Herdade do Rocim, Mariana Branco

The name of this one is a mouthful, isn’t it? Well, for us Americans anyway. Herdade do Rocim, Mariana Branco. But to make things easier, you can just call it Mariana.

Over the past few months I’ve had an opportunity to review a number of Portuguese wines from the Alentejo region, which is where this one is from as well. More specifically, this wine comes from the Vidigueira sub-region in the southern part of Alentejo, which centers around Vidigueira, Portugal. This is the most temperate part of Alentejo, cooled by air flowing up from the Algarve coast.

The Herdade do Rocim estate resides between Vidigueira and Cuba, Portugal. The property is 120 hectares with 70 of those planted with vineyards and 10 with olive trees. This is just one of several wines they produce.

This wine is named after Mariana Alcoforado, the legendary and disputed author of Letters of a Portuguese Nun, a famous work of literature originating from the region. From the terraces of Herdade do Rocim you can see the tower of Beja Castle, which is in Beja, Portugal, where Mariana Alcoforado resided.

Mariana, the wine, is a blend of native Portuguese grapes: Antão Vaz, Arinto and Alvarinho.

This is a fairly light white wine, which is something I mention not as a qualitative assessment, but a characteristic. I often appreciate lighter wines in a world where so many wines are aggressively in your face. This one is restrained and elegant.

Soft melon, mango and other tropical fruit aromas are presented on the nose. The palate brings rich, well-balanced mango, melon, peach and pineapple flavors. There’s enough acidity to add a bright freshness to the fruit too. The mouthfeel is nice. The finish is fairly long with tropical fruit and a touch of salinity.

This is an easy summer sipper, perfect for a hot day.

Wine: Herdade do Rocim, Mariana Branco
Varieties: Antão Vaz, Arinto and Alvarinho
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 86
Average price: $13.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.