Review: Marquês de Borba Colheita White

I am what some might call a wine nerd. Part of what drives my interest in wine is curiosity. I love being able to explore different regions, different grapes, different production methods and more through the context of wine.

Wine regions that use native, regional grapes is one of the things I often look for to feed my curious mind. Portugal offers fertile ground for finding wines made from native grapes. In fact, Portugal has the highest density of native grapes per square mile of any country in the world.

I love trying wines made from native grapes, but sometimes producers will blend native grapes with international grapes and that piques my curiosity too. This wine, the Marquês de Borba , is one such wine.

Marquês de Borba is a brand produced by João Portugal Ramos in the Borba sub-region of Alentejo. The Colheita White is made with two native Portuguese grapes, Arinto and Antão Vaz, along with the international grape, Viognier.

Both Antão Vaz and Viognier are known for resulting in very fragrant / perfumed wines. Meanwhile, Arinto is known for high acidity, which adds brightness to a wine’s characteristics. Put all of that together and you can understand why I was curious to give this one a try.

Tasting Notes

The nose offers very nice floral fragrances, along with lemon, pear, melon and flinty mineral aromas. On the palate, lemon flavors are the most prominent, supported by pear and mineral notes. It has a pleasant mouthfeel, with a touch of creaminess, likely from the Viognier. The acidity gives a nice brightness to the flavors and is well balanced. It finishes medium-long with lemon flavors and floral notes.

Wine: Marquês de Borba Colheita White
Varieties: Arinto, Antão Vaz, Viognier
Vintage: 2020
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 90
Average price: $13
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.