Almeida Garrett Grande Reserva Chardonnay 2016

For over 100 years, the Almeida Garrett family has been nurturing Chardonnay vines and producing award-winning, complex yet elegant varietal white wines. In addition to local red varieties, such as Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional, Chardonnay is one of the most prestigious grape varieties, with the added value of growing in Beira Interior, with its special soils, towering altitudes and peak temperatures.

The family of Almeida Garrett settled in the Castelo Branco district at the beginning of the 19th century, when one of Francisco Tavares Proença’s daughters married Gonçalo de Almeida Garrett, a Porto native and nephew of writer Almeida Garrett. They dedicated themselves to agriculture, particularly winegrowing, in the towns of Castelo Branco, Covilhã and Fundão. At the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889, they won a bronze medal and were submitted into the Golden Book for the quality of their olive oil and wine. The first Chardonnay vines were planted upon their return from their prolonged stay in the south of France — the only white wine variety they grow still today.

The vineyards
The view from the vineyards is breath-taking, with their luxurious green vastness overlooking the mountains. They run from Zêzere River to the slopes of Serra da Estrela, and most of the soil for the different varieties is granitic — fresher, lighter, more vibrant wines.