Zambujeiro 2021

Zambujeiro 2021 is the 2021 vintage of the wines made by the prestigious Quinta do Zambujeiro, in the Borba sub-region of the Alentejo. This vintage spans several well-known ranges.

The Wine Advocate
RP 93+

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The 2021 Zambujeiro, the estate's top wine, is powerful, ripe and generously oaked, made from a blend of 31% Alicante Bouschet, 29% Aragonez, 13% Touriga Nacional, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Touriga Franca, 6% Petit Verdot and 1% Tinta Caiada. It fermented in wooden and stainless-steel vats and aged for 26 months in French oak barrels, 80% new.

It has 15.5% alcohol, a full-bodied palate and abundant tannins. According to the producer, it's a concentrated, dense wine with intense, ripe aromas and solid tannins. It's a profile that will mainly please fans of this style; personally, I find it a little excessive, though very good within its expression. 6,600 bottles were produced. It was bottled in May 2024.

Quinta do Zambujeiro was one of the first estates to receive foreign investment in the Alentejo, in 1999. Today it has 28 hectares next to the winery and another 10 hectares in Estremoz. In 2026, more Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet vines are being planted. Vine ages range from 15 to over 60 years, at an average altitude of 400 metres in the Serra de Ossa.

The estate has 520 French oak barrels of 225 litres, up to 10 years old, used to age the wines. In the past the wines tended to be fuller, richer and relatively high in alcohol, but today they show a more balanced, refined expression. Annual production ranges from 100,000 to 120,000 bottles. Quinta do Zambujeiro currently has no importer in the United States.

The wet winter of 2021 replenished water reserves, while an equally wet spring increased fungal disease pressure. A very hot, dry summer followed, giving high yields and requiring strict crop control through bunch thinning. The result was wines with moderate sugar levels but excellent colour, tannic structure and phenolic complexity, helped by cool nights during harvest.

In 2022, a dry winter and spring meant the most sensitive plots had to be irrigated early in the summer. However, the combination of hot days and very cool nights during ripening gave grapes of exceptional complexity and high quality.

Published: 11 June 2026