Review: Coelheiros Red

For years I’ve been excited about Portuguese wines, primarily because the quality-to-price ratio is often quite exceptional but that’s not all they have going for them. I would call myself a wine geek, and as such I seek out unique varieties of wine and Portuguese wine producers often use grape varieties that differ from the usual suspects (e.g., cabernet sauvignon, merlot, etc.).

In the Alentejo region of Portugal, another thing they have going for them is a sustainability program they started back in 2015 called, Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program (WASP). There are currently 396 members in the program (out of a universe of about 1,800 producers) and that 396 represents approximately 45% of Alentejo’s vineyard area and all Alentejo’s main players. The program has adopted best practices from sustainability programs in California and Chile and drives a number of initiatives to do things like reduce pesticide use, conserve water, reduce energy usage, increase biodiversity and improve soil management practices. And that’s just some of what they do.

Herdade de Coelheiros is one of the participating producers. In addition to their vineyards, which they are in the process of converting to organic, Coelheiros maintains a cork forest, a walnut orchard and keep a herd of sheep grazing on their estate.

The Coelheiros Red is a red blend they produce and the grapes in the blend can vary from year to year. In this 2017 vintage it’s made from 50% Aragonez and 50% Alicante Bouschet. Now you might get excited by the prospect of trying a unique variety when you see Aragonez as one of the grapes, but that is the Portuguese name for Tempranillo — so it may not be as unique as you had hoped. Alicante Bousquet is a cross of Petit Bousquet and Grenache, originating from France.

The nose offers a perfect balance of earthy, spicy and fruity aromas, like strawberry, cherry, raspberry, coffee, leather, white pepper and flint. On the palate, the fruit dominates with bright cherry and blackberry, but there’s still plenty of spice, such as white pepper. The vibrancy is outstanding. It has a good mouthfeel too. The finish is relatively long, with tart berry flavors.

Wine: Coelheiros Red
Varieties: 50% Aragonez (i.e., Tempranillo), 50% Alicante Bouschet
Vintage: 2017
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 90
Average price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.