In 2024, the winery was very proud to be given the Sustainability Certificate of ViniPortugal, a nationally recognised award. They were amongst the first in the country to do so, and THE first in the Tejo region. They have worked hard to reach the high standards this award demands and will continue with the same dedication to retain it. 

Sustainability has always been at the core of their philosophy. Today, Jose Lobo and the team are firmly committed to reducing their carbon footprint for the entire process – from vineyard to customer. That includes a reduction in water use, reuse of rainfall and waste water, plus the increase of energy production at the cellar.  

To help combat a warming climate in the vineyard, they are increasing their plantings of Arinto, a white grape with bountiful acidity, and of the red Sousão that lends excellent colour as well acidity. 

We were delighted to welcome Jose at our London Wine Festival last May. You may well have met him if you attended the event. He obviously thoroughly enjoyed the event, writing, “Last year’s London Wine Festival was an incredible moment to gather information and just feel the pulse of our customers. It was an amazing reassurance for our work and hope for the future.”  

We look forward to welcoming Jose back to the Festival in 2025, at its new date in November.  

This year’s release for Vineyard Partners is the Centenário Grande Reserva 2023. Joana Lopes first sums up the weather for the vintage: 

“2023 was characterised by a warm, rainy winter and a very warm, dry spring. Mildew and powdery mildew appeared sporadically, but gave us no concern, and did not affect production or yields. Unusually there was a little bit  of rain in the last two days before harvest, which delayed picking briefly. The grapes dried quickly in the Tejo heat and had no adverse effect on quality. The grapes were beautifully ripened, with great colour and fruit intensity. Indeed, 2023 has proved one of the best vintages of the decade.” 

Centenário Grande Reserva 2023

Centenário is always the same mix of grapes – a field blend of Castelão and Alicante Bouschet, which gives this wine its identity, while the age of the vines, over 100 years, helps ensure consistency between the vintages. The small (5%) portion of Petit Verdot is from another vineyard, which was planted in 2000. This adds significantly to the wine’s powerful ripe fruit. As for the oak treatment, all components are aged in fine French oak barriques for a year, 30% of those were new for this vintage, while the rest is second and third use. For this top red, they no longer fine the wine. It’s naturally stabilised by the winter cold … always the most respectful way to finish a wine. 

Joana gave us her tasting note on the wine: 

“Centenário Grande Reserva is a powerful wine that expresses in an unique way the identity of centenary vineyard. On the aroma, it offers spice with intense dark berry notes. On the palate, it shows elegance and sophistication that only old vineyards can provide, with bold black fruits, silky ripe tannins and riveting freshness that provides the tension that lends the wine ageing potential. Dark notes of oak blend seamlessly with the wine’s fruit, increasing its rich layers of complexity. In all, we are looking at an amazing wine with the potential to become a truly extraordinary one. 

And what to serve with the Centenário? Joana’s top food choice would be a dry-aged rib