Alento Reserva Branco 2024

Alento Reserva Branco 2024 is a regional Alentejo wine with a fresh, structured profile, made by Adega do Monte Branco in Estremoz, signed by renowned winemaker Luís Louro.

The Wine Advocate
RP 92 points

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The 2024 Alento Reserva Branco is serious and harmonious. It's made from a classic modern-Alentejo blend of 75% Arinto and 25% Antão Vaz from a vineyard planted in 2001 on schist soils.

The grapes were picked relatively early and co-fermented with indigenous yeasts in 600-litre barrels, where the wine also aged for seven months. The nose is complex and subtle, with notes of dried herbs, spice and a delicate touch of nuts, supported by a core of white fruit and flowers.

The producer aims to keep a fresher profile, and this wine shows restrained ripeness, with 12.4% alcohol, a pH of 3.17 and 6.3 g/L of acidity, figures reflecting its very good freshness and balance.

8,000 bottles and 800 magnums were produced. The wine was bottled in May 2025.

About the producer

Luis Louro is the son of Miguel Louro of Quinta do Mouro. In 2004 Luis founded Adega Monte Branco in Estremoz, aiming to make wines focused 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 firmly believes great wines are made in the vineyard, so he started the project by leasing vineyards while gradually building his own winery.

Over the years the project grew through land purchases, new plantings and buying vineyards. By the 2024 harvest, virtually all the vineyard plots were owned by the house, with just one still leased.

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 by the project itself. There's also a clear priority for grapes best adapted to the region's climate.

There's also a growing focus on traditional Portuguese grapes with a long growing cycle, 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 vineyard was planted in 1993.

Average annual production is around 200,000 bottles.

Published: 11 June 2026