Monte Branco Branco 2022

Monte Branco Branco 2022 is a highly exclusive, surprising top white made by Adega do Monte Branco in Estremoz, Alentejo, signed by winemaker Luís Louro.

The Wine Advocate
RP 94 points

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The 2022 Monte Branco Branco has a bright, almost fluorescent yellow colour and a high-quality nose marked by complexity, elegance and freshness. On the palate it's balanced and delicate, showing both power and harmony, with a more Mediterranean character where notes of dried yellow flowers and aromatic herbs appear.

The wine achieves the goal of creating a white with great texture, yet fresh, elegant and age-worthy. It's made from a blend of 40% Arinto, 30% Esgana Cão, 20% Rabigato and 10% Galego Dourado, from two vineyards planted in 2001 and 2017 on schist and limestone soils.

The grapes fermented together in new and used 600-litre barrels, where the wine stayed for 11 months. The oak is very well integrated, contributing to a harmonious, nuanced whole, both complex and fresh.

It shows balanced ripeness, with 12.8% alcohol, a pH of 3.2 and 6.3 g/L of acidity. 1,730 bottles and 290 magnums were produced. The wine was bottled in August 2024.

Adega Monte Branco

Luis Louro is the son of Miguel Louro of Quinta do Mouro. In 2004 he founded Adega Monte Branco in Estremoz, aiming to make wines centred on balance rather than power, and freshness rather than excess.

The project is built on traditional Portuguese grapes and inspired by Alentejo wines of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Luis Louro firmly believes great wines are born in the vineyard, so he started the project by renting plots while gradually building his own winery.

Over the years he expanded through land purchases, new plantings and buying vineyards. By the 2024 harvest, practically all vineyard plots were owned by the company, with just one still rented.

Sustainability has become central to the project. Weeds are controlled without herbicides, using sheep in winter and mechanical methods in spring and summer. Fertilisation is exclusively organic and about 80% of the energy used in the winery and vineyard operations is produced on site. There's also a clear preference for grapes adapted to the region's climate.

There's also a growing focus on traditional Portuguese grapes with long growing cycles, high acidity and ageing potential. Luis Louro was the first producer in the region to plant Esgana Cão and Galego Dourado, continually adapting grapes, rootstocks and training systems to the specific characteristics of each soil type and vineyard plot.

The project celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024. Today Luis Louro farms a total of 28 hectares across five plots, all in Estremoz. The oldest was planted in 1993.

Average annual production is about 200,000 bottles.

Published: 11 June 2026