Three oenologists that respected each other have dedicated the best of their talent to a common project. Since that day, without leaving Dão, Magnum Carlos Lucas has conquered new territories in Douro and in Alentejo with a distinguished portfolio that has been gathering both the critic’s preference and the recognition from the best international publications. In 2014 it has conquered the greatest award of national agriculture: the Agricultor do Ano award.
Carlos Lucas and Carlos Rodrigues had been working side by side for some years in Dão Sul, one of the greatest Portuguese producers, when they decided to conceive the wines they truly loved. They extended the invitation to oenologist Lúcia Freitas and started exploring Quinta do Ribeiro Santo, owned by Carlos Lucas, in the Dão Wine Region. Lúcia had already created a prestigious Dão brand – Baton – that joined the project. Later, their project would be completed with the acquisition of a new estate in the outskirts of Mora in Alentejo.
Nowadays, Magnum Carlos Lucas integrates these so different terroirs in a common obsession for quality. Quinta de Ribeiro Santo, in Carregal do Sal, Dão Wine Region, is the mother house. Typical vine varieties of the region – Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Tinto Cão and Encruzado – were planted in integrated production vineyards and respecting the environment in poor granitic soil, with rocky outcrops. Remarkable wines are produced there, starting with those that are named after the Estate. The Ribeiro Santo White earned 89 points in Wine Enthusiast and a Silver Medal in the 2013 International Wine Challenge. The Red has obtained 89 points in the same magazine, identical score in the Wine Spectator and a Silver medal in the 2015 Berlin Wien Trophy. The Tinto Reserva went farther, earning 92 points in the Wine Enthusiast. It is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz, with a complex aroma, hints of wild berries, pine needles that has aged 9 months in French oak.
Ribeiro Santo Encruzado is also remarkable and was awarded with the Gold Medal in Berlin and earned 90 Parker points. It is a white wine with a delicate aroma, lemon and green apple hints, with fresh fruit in the mouth, mineral, with citric acidity and excellent balance.
The portfolio keeps improving with the Ribeiro Santo Touriga Nacional and Grande Escolha. The first one with the aromas of the vine variety, blackberries, sour cherries and wild flowers scored 90 points in the Wine Enthusiast. The second is a monumental wine, with 93 points in the same publication that has aged for 14 months in French oak: it has a sublime aroma with mineral hints of wild fruits; it is fresh, full of character and elegance.
The Vinhas de Neve white and red are equally appreciated. The wine critic João Paulo Martins, in his famous guide of Portuguese wines, awards the first one with the exceptional classification of 17.5 and the second with 17. He praises the white, Encruzado vine variety, for its “very elegant aroma, fine in the fruit, delicate with a very exquisite profile, with gracious quality wood… luxurious ensemble”. The red earns his respect by the elegance, the “ensemble delicacy”, with fruit that “commands the tasting”.
With such a vast portfolio, we could not leave out the extraordinary red Carlos Lucas 20 Anos. It was awarded with the Prémio de Excelência by Revista dos Vinhos and got a score of 18 from João Paulo Martins. It was praised by the “enormous aromatic elegance… high quality tannins, well-polished” and by the “fine, vibrant, delicious” profile.
Magnum Carlos Lucas also extracts high level creations from Quinta do Douro such as Batom Tinto that earned 92 points in the Wine Enthusiast and Gold in the Concurso Vinhos de Portugal, among other distinctions. It is a very complex wine, elaborated from several vine varieties originated from old vineyards and ages for 12 months in French oak barrels, being full of elegance and very balanced.
Flor de Maio and Maria Mora come from Alentejo and the latter gives its name to the Estate. The Maria Mora Red is a blend of Touriga Nacional, trincadeira and Syrah. It is a very aromatic wine, with hints of red fruits and spices; it displays an excellent acidity and a smooth texture and has obtained 92 points in the Wine Enthusiast. The Maria Mora Reserva, Gold medal in the International Wine Challenge, is a very aromatic wine that combines Touriga Nacional, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet and gives a very good tasting with excellent acidity, smooth texture and a very fresh ending.
With an unusual versatility, that crosses regions, terroirs and different vine varieties, the Magnum Carlos Lucas’ wines display a character and a quality that both critics and wine lovers recognize in all their declinations. It does not come as a surprise that the company has earned, in 2014, the greatest award of the Portuguese agriculture – the Agricultor do Ano award – for the joy of those who know who they are.
