TASTING Villa Oeiras 7 Anos
A blend of white wines aged in seasoned French and Portuguese oak casks for 7–9 years. Lovely, golden, orange-amber color; still showing spirit on the nose, with orange-peel aromas and a touch of toffee; gloriously smooth and fresh, with citrus-toffee complexity, gentle mouthfeel, and a clean, breezy finish. | 88
Villa Oeiras 15 Anos Superior Quinta da Ribeira de Caparide 1989
A 15-year-old blend from the three principal white grape varieties, fortified with aguardente from Lourinhã, aged in Portuguese and French oak as well as chestnut. Lovely, golden amber color, with a green glint; heady maritime nose, salty citrus, candied peel, and a hint of toffee; similarly fresh crystalized-lemon and dried- apricot fruit, good balance (100g/l RS), fresh and nicely defined. | 91
Villa Oeiras Colheita 2014
This is the most recent single-vintage Carcavelos, shortly to be launched on to the market. Pale golden amber, with a glint of olive green on the rim; gently toasted dried-apricot aromas and flavors, with lovely mouthfeel, delicate richness mid-palate (95g/l RS), and on to the finish with a hint of saline butterscotch, now beautifully melded and harmonious with age. | 92
Quinta da Corrieira Colheita 2012
The launch of a wine from a small property at Barcarena, 150m (500ft) above sea level about 5km (3 miles) inland from Carcavelos itself, with tremendous views over the Estoril coast. Made from a roughly equal blend of Galego Dourado, Arinto, and Ratinho, the specifics of the vinification and aging process for this have already been lost due to the indisposition of the previous owner, making this something of mystery wine. The property was only acquired by the current owner, Jorg Lewerenz, in 2017. Pale amber, with a green glint; delicate floral perfume, honeysuckle, vaguely nutty, too, with a hint of dried apricot; sweeter on the palate than the nose suggests (about 90g/l RS), dried-apricot sweetness balanced by acidity, leading to a lithe, elegant finish, delicate and honeyed. | 92
Quinta dos Pesos 1995
This property at the back of Estoril kept Carcavelos alive during the 1980s and ’90s. A blend of white and red grapes, the later accounting for about 35% of the blend and including Castelão and Espadeiro, bottled in 2023 for Howard’s Folly (with Australian David Baverstock in charge of the winemaking). Deep orange-amber, olive-green rim; rich and heady on the nose, with a touch of butterscotch and molasses, lifted and almost Madeira-like in style; similarly rich and textured on the palate, tawny marmalade in character, with a saline streak, quince and boiled sweets on the finish. Very good indeed. | 95
THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025 | 67
A blend of wines from 1997 to 2004, bottled in 2009. This was the first wine to be bottled by the Villa Oeiras project, backed by the town council. Mid-amber-orange, with a green glint; strangely roasted and rather oxidized on the nose, singed and rustic; rich on the palate, semi-sweet in style, with 110g/l RS, rather dusty dried apricots (sweet and savory), with some texture and a sultana-like finish. Disjointed; doesn’t quite gel. | 84
Quinta de Cima
An experimental wine from the late 1980s/early 1990s, made at Torres Vedras from grapes grown in Oeiras, the vines having been planted in 1983. Pale mahogany, with a green-tinged rim; honey and orange blossom on the nose, grapey, too, “like an old Moscatel,” as one taster said; very rich and sweet in style (probably close to the maximum 150g/l RS), quite elegant, with peachy fruit and medicinal sweetness on the finish. This seems to have aged rather well in bottle. | 88
A blend of red and white grapes from a property near Estoril. Pale-to-mid- amber, rather cloudy; smells of rather poor-quality aguardente, with a backdrop of rather dusty dog biscuits; better on the palate, savory, in a drier style, saline but quite neutral, with a touch of toffee and carame on the rather extractive finish. Unappealing. | 80
Conde de Oeiras Carcavelos 1997 Colheita
A wine made from grapes grown by the Estação Agronómica in Oeiras but made at the Dois Portos adega near Torres Vedras, still in cask. Lovely, deep golden amber, with a complex, slightly lifted, mellifluous character on the nose and palate, combining creamy butterscotch richness and candid-peel freshness with just a hint of chocolate. Rather glorious. Just one pipe remaining. | 94
Quinta d’Algoa 1906
These vineyards have long disappeared under a housing development. There is a public garden named Algoa close to the modern-day center of Carcavelos. Deep, bright amber, with an olive- green rim; delicately maderized on the nose, with a touch of rancio, lifted and high-toned, with a touch of woodsmoke; a similarly delicate, off-dry, savory-smoky character on the palate, notable acidity, but more in the style of Amontillado Sherry than Madeira, with a similarly dry, austere finish. | 91
Quinta do Barão No 1
This is a wine from the 1920s, when this property bottled wines numbered 1, 2, or 3, reflecting increasing sweetness. Barão continued to produce wine until 1988 (bottled as Ultima Reserva, Last Reserve), when the estate was divided in two by a feeder road. The adega still stands abandoned but there have since been various projects for redevelopment. Mid-deep mahogany, with an olive-green rim; wild, funky, rather woody nose; a delicate (fragile even) saline character, with crystalized fruit (Elvas plum) and a rather abrupt, austere finish. A fascinating wine, if very difficult to score. | 87
Quinta da Bela Vista
A wine around 80 years old, thought to be made principally from Galego Dourado. The estate ceased production in 1969, and the wine remained in vat until it was removed and bottled in 1991 by Carlos Pereira da Fonseca of Quinta de Sanguinhal at Bombarral. Around 9,000 liters were bottled. Pale- to mid-amber in color; delicate, clean, if a bit non-descript on the nose, vaguely nutty; soft, dry, and quite elegant (only about 10g/l RS), with a soft, slightly grapey finish. There was some significant variation between bottles though. | 87
Opposite: The Palácio do Marquês de Pombal in Oeiras, the palace of the prime minister who made Carcavelos famous. Below: “The first comparative tasting of Carcavelos for many a year,” in 2024.
Photography (left) © Lena Chert / Shutterstock; (right) by Richard Mayson
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