Products
About us
Awards
52€
17,5€
10,5€
In addition, the owners of these gardens wished to make use of some of the existing vineyards. In these very special spaces, formerly occupied by orchards and vegetable gardens, they created new vineyards which benefit from the positive impact of biodiversity, dry stone fences, indigenous vegetation and the hedges, hundreds of years old in some cases, which help preserve the habitat and its species, thereby improving the production of grapes and wine.
A new viticulture and winemaking project was thus born on the best parcels of these estates, wihtin a natural and balanced environment, prizing quality as its inextricable partner.
The union of these various families, and their respective estates in the village of Santar – Condes de Santar e Magalhães House, Linhares Ibérico Nogueira House, Hotel Valverde Santar Vila Jardim, Nossa Senhora da Piedade and Magnólia House – brought several advantages to the project, including the ex-libris of the various estates. To this shared element the Condes de Santar e Magalhães House added its long experience in the region’s and the country’s winegrowing and winemaking traditions – this family legacy being brought onboard by Pedro de Vasconcellos e Souza, the “Pater “ enologist of this project.
His impressive career – having created the Casa de Santar wines as well as those from the Herdade do Freixo estate, in Alentejo – bears the stamp of a personality who can understand the spirit of the place and allow us to savour its authenticity. His passion for this region, which he considers to be his birthplace, has given him this extra challenge, crowning a lifetime dedicated to winemaking excellence.
The study of land plots, varieties and clones, attentive listening to the knowledge of those who came before, and technological innovation – all these parameters were carefully accounted for.
The project’s inclusive character, with its plural embrace of competences and dialogue, was also important in this achievement which we are honoured to present. Enjoy these nectars.
In 2007, the Countess of Santar e Magalhães asked her son Pedro for a small-sized vineyard which her grandchildren would be able to look after. So in 2007 a unique concept was born – Vinha Jardim, or ‘Garden Vineyard’ – which first originated the Conde de Santar wine and nowadays produces the Memórias de Santar wine, as a tribute to all the locals who contributed to the vineyard landscape of Santar.
In this unique land plot, integrated into the historical garden of the Condes de Santar e Magalhães House, in granitic and schist-migmatitic soil, two premium varieties were planted, representing the best from their respective countries of origin: Touriga Nacional from Portugal and Merlot from France.
Every vineyard is a garden; one of the oldest expressions of what a garden is can be seen in a vineyard. Beside a pool, an olive tree, a cypress, a palm tree, a lemon tree and a boxwood flower bed. Going to the vineyard has always meant going to that most intimate part of the garden, where the wonderful grape was harvested, to give us all the concentrated flavour of the alchemy between earth and sun. Thus the undulating Santar vineyard, in the Hotel Valverde Santar, exhibits the geometric expression of the intimate experience that opens onto the landscape, lived as a dream when seen from the heights of its belvedere. The vineyard is surrounded by Olea fragrans shrubs, whose dark middle leaf shows the frailty of its delicately perfumed flowering. The inner roads are surrounded by Choisya ternata hedges and a Mexican orange tree with light green leaves which, in contrast, enhances in spring and autumn.
The scented white flower reminding us of citrus fruits; in the middle, some arbutus, laurels and cypresses, alongside some paulownias which will give us their marvelous blue flowers in the spring. Everywhere in the vineyard there is biodiversity – plants, flowers, fruits and also birds coming to protect their nests and feed on such delicious fruit.
It is a special place. Sitting at the top of the whole project, it looks onto the whole Estrela mountain range, which shelters and protects this vineyard in Santar Vila Jardim that, each year when autumn comes, gives its best wine.
Fernando Caruncho
Belonging to the Ibérico Nogueira family, it is a part of the Santar Vila Jardim project.
Its vineyard garden, planted with the Touriga Nacional variety, lies at the centre of the village of Santar. Its exposure and high position allow for excellent grape maturation and a magnificent view over the biological vegetable gardens, bounded by vines, that were created within the project.
The Estrela range can also be seen in the distance.
Belonging to the Loureiro Portugal family, it is a part of the Santar Vila Jardim project. Its vineyard garden, small in size and bounded by carved boxwood hedges with pyramids at regular intervals, was once the house’s orchard and vegetable garden.
The ‘carreiras’ take visitors along the garden and let them enjoy the landscape framed by the Estrela range, between two plots planted with white varieties – Encruzado and Alvarinho.
Belonging to the Gomes family, it is a part of the Santar Vila Jardim Wines project. Monte de Lobo lies on the plateau of Santar, between two mountain ranges – Estrela and Caramulo – at an altitude of 388 m, enjoying clear exposure.
The Touriga Nacional and Malvasia Fina varieties are planted on a soil of granitic origin, with a light texture, low levels of organic matter and low water retention capacity. High maturation amplitudes originate fresh, mineral and highly complex wines.
This variety is traditionally cultivated in the Dão region, where it represents the white variety par excellence. It is a relatively recent choice, going back a little over 50 years. This may explain why it occupies only 250 hectares of vineyard, coming behind other emblematic Dão varieties such as Malvasia Fina or even Bical.
Nowadays it can be found, here and there, in other regions. This variety exhibits average, regular output, not being very susceptible to hydric stress but moderately susceptible to coulure, mildew, oidium and the green vine cicada. Susceptible to erinose and grape rotting. It adapts to every kind of pruning, but its hedge is hard to keep straight. Young shoots break easily in the wind. It favours granite-derived soils, deep and dry. Tendrils are located on the internodes, and maturation occurs in mid-season.
Malvasia Fina is traditionally grown in the regions of Douro, Dão and Madeira. It is a very old variety whose origin is unknown. It is probably Roman – or even Greek, since it was mentioned as far back as the 14th century. It belongs to a large ‘family´: at least another 12 Malvasias are known.
Its output is average to high, and regular. Very sensitive to hydric stress, which shrivels the grape and causes loss of leaves. Sensitive to magnesium and boron defficiency, coulure, oidium and grape rotting. Moderately susceptible to mildew and the green vine cicada. It adapts to all kinds of pruning, and prefers deep but well drained soils. In maritime areas of fertile soil, a rootstock of moderate strength is recommended; its maturation is precocious.
The wine is elegant and fine, but has low levels of intensity and compexity, both in aroma and taste. It has good aging potential.
It is essentially a blending grape which, in cooler regions and when harvested early, works as a basis for creating sparkling wines. It has earned its credentials in the regions of Távora-Varosa and Lamego.
In the granitic, poor and well drained soils of Santar Vila Jardim, it finds the ideal conditions to express its full potential.
Alvarinho is a white variety originating in the Minho river basin. It is predominantly grown in the Melgaço and Monção sub-regions, where it reveals and attains its maximum potential, but nowadays it is cultivated all over the country. It is also the prevailing variety of the Rias Bajas (Galicia, Spain).
This variety is of moderate strength, but very rustic. Very fertile, it often presents 3 inflorescences per shoot, originating very small clusters, leafy and somewhat compact, which makes it a variety of low productivity. It requires dry terrain to boost the quality of the wine it originates. This, in addition to the acidic nature of the soils on which it is grown, makes it well adapted to the 196-17 rootstock. Rootstocks such as S04 or R99 may be used depending on the terrain (cooler and drier, respectively). When ripe, its grapes attain high sugar levels, while maintaining high acidity.
This variety produces well-structured, elegant wines, with a lively acid character, and a prevalence of citrus fruit (sometimes tropical). Its aroma is intense, distinctive, delicate and complex – ranging from quince, peach, banana, lemon, passion fruit and lychee (fruity character), to orange blossom and violet (floral character), hazelnut and walnut (almond character), and honey (caramel character). Its flavour is complex, smooth, rounded, harmonious, full-bodied and persistent. Although its reputation rests on the production of still wines – for which this region is most distinguished – it has also achieved excellent results in sparkling wines and brandies.
This is considered to be the noblest Portuguese red variety. Thanks to its qualities, it has already conquered considerable areas in Europe, Australia and the United States, especially in California. In Portugal, it can be found in every winemaking region, from the Douro to the Alentejo and the Algarve. It is perhaps in the Dão region, nonetheless, that it exhibits all its category.
Clones from the Dão region have greater genetic heterogeneity, in quantitative and qualitative terms, than those from the Douro, leading us to believe that its origins lie in the Dão region. It is thought that its origin may be in the “Tourigo” variety.
Its clusters are small and elongated; the grapes – containing a hard pulp, uncoloured and with a peculiar taste – are small and rounded, its black-blue skin covered in strong pruina. This variety yields average output, which can be increased through the use of selected materials and adequate shaping. Not very sensitive to mildew, oidium and the green vine cicada. Average susceptibility to magnesium defficiency and grey rot. Sensitive to the dead arm of grapevine, hydric and thermal stress, often losing leaves under these conditions. This variety is very demanding when it comes to training. It matures in mid-season.
It originates complex, full-bodied wines, of very high quality, featuring backberry and wildflower aromas, with great aging potential. Together with Tinta Roriz, Jaén and Alfrocheiro, it is present in the Dão region, associated with the production of blended wines.
In the House of Santar (Santar Vila Jardim), it finds the ideal terroir to express all its class and, when combined with small quantities of the Alfrocheiro variety, it originates wines with even greater finesse. When additionally combined with the Merlot variety, it gives rise to wines of great complexity and elegance.
The name of this grape variety is relatively recent (dated later than 1909), which suggests that, in the past, it may have had another name or even have come from abroad. It is also known as Tinta Francesa de Viseu (Pereira e Duarte, 1986), which might be misleading as to its origin. Although it is present in foreign ampelographic collections, it has never been detected to have synonymity with varieties from other countries.
It is currently cultivated in Bairrada, Ribatejo, Alentejo and traditionally in the Dão, where its origins presumably lie and its full potential is expressed.
This variety stands erect, with medium vigour and some tendency towards developing secondary shoots. It shows average productivity and early maturation.
It is very sensitive to oidium, grey rot and the green vine cicada. It is also sensitive to hydric stress, boron defficiency and sun scald. Since it is very fertile, even in its basal buds, close pruning is recommended. It can, however, adapt to any kind of pruning and prefers sandy and unfertile soils; it does not adapt well to compact and argillaceous soils.
The wines it originates are among the most heavily coloured in the Dão region, with intense grenadine colour and violet reflections. It has a fruity aroma with good acidic balance, and a full-bodied, delicate and lasting flavour.
Its aging potential is good, especially when new oak is utilized. It is a multifaceted variety, allowing even the production of high quality sparkling wine.
In the edaphoclimatic conditions of Santar Vila Jardim, with its poor, granitic soils, it fully expresses its potential and, alongside the other varieties present in the region, makes it possible to create wines of very high quality and great elegance.
he Alicante Bouschet variety was created by Henry Bouschet in France in 1855, in the Languedoc region, by crossing the Petit Bouschet and Grenache varieties, and is also known as Alicante Henry Bouschet.
Nowadays it is grown mainly in Spain and Portugal, achieving its greatest prominence in the Alentejo region. It is a teinturier variety, with high productivity and late maturation. It shows some resistance to oidium, but it is sensitive to mildew, canker, dead arm and other trunk diseases.
It does not adapt to fertile soils and cool climates, since these cause defficient grape maturation. Although vigorous, it demands close pruning, due to its high fertility. Overproduction increases its sensitivity to hydric stress.
The wines it originates show very concentrated colour and are rich in phenolic compounds. Its vinous aroma is very evident, evoking well-ripened prune jam.
In the poor soils of Santar Vila Jardim and the climate of this Dão area, this variety finds the conditions for excellent maturation, as long as overproduction is avoided.
The Merlot variety, descended from Cabernet Franc, just like the Carmenère and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties, originated in the French region of Bordeaux. Its use in winemaking in that region was first referred in 1784. Together with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it belongs in the group of classic Bordeaux grapes. It later spread throughout the world, and has become one of the most cultivated varieties at the global level. Its great international success is partly due to its great adaptability to different types of soil and climate, e.g. cold climates and arid, argillaceous, and even rocky soils, generally permitting excellent maturation levels. Its clusters are medium-sized, and the grapes are thin-skinned and blue-violet in colour. It features early maturation, and its grapes show a great concentration of sugars, resulting from its leaves’ intense green colour and a correspondingly high photosynthesis rate. Similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, although not just as intense, it originates wines with high alcoholic and low tannin content – strongly fruity, with notes of red fruit such as cherry and raspberry.
They are full-bodied, rich in colour and low in acidity, with complex and elegant aromas. In the mouth they usually present a smooth, rather velvety texture.
On the Casa de Santar (Santar Vila Jardim) terroir, the Merlot variety finds a top spot for expressing its full potential. In fact the climate in Nelas – Mediterranean, with some mainland influence – providing warm days and cold nights during maturation, together with its granitic soils – well drained, with low fertility and low hydric storage – allows this variety to mature under moderate hydric stress, enhancing all its elegance and enological character. In several places, this variety works very well in blends, e.g. with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (in Bordeaux) or with Sangiovese and even.
PRIZING NATURE’S TREASURES
Biodiversidade – ou diversidade biológica – é o termo atribuído à variante da vida na terra. Numa vinha, a biodiversidade é a diversidade de animais, plantas, fungos e microrganismos, seja ao nível genético, de espécies ou de ecossistemas. Esta diversidade é necessária para sustentar funções, estruturas e processos fundamentais neste agroecossitema. A biodiversidade é, portanto, um termo amplo que engloba a diversidade de ecossistemas agrícolas e naturais.
Os impactos positivos da gestão da biodiversidade nas vinhas é uma das grandes preocupações do projeto Santar Vila Jardim Wines.
Quando mais diversificado um sistema for, mais resiliente ou autorregulador se torna. A manutenção da biodiversidade nas vinhas resulta num impacto positivo para a cultura. Para garantir um ecossistema bio diverso, é fundamental conservar o habitat e as espécies que nele se encontra. Um ambiente equilibrado e natural, com agroecossistema diversificado, melhora a produção vitivinícola a longo dos anos.
This adega (wine cellar) was built by D. José Pedro Paulo de Mello da Cunha de Souza e Meneses in 1911, being located at the end of the gardens in the Santar e Magalhães House.
It was here that the wines Condessa de Santar and Conde de Santar were born, with many stories accumulating over the years; these we have kept in our memories and now want to share. They recall scents, flavours and emotions, a body of knowledge passed down through generations.
In 2020, Santar Vila Jardim Wines fitted the wine cellar with state-of-the-art winemaking technology, so as to ensure that the carefully selected grapes from the various gardens would originate wines of superior quality.
Santar Vila Jardim Branco – White
Santar Vila Jardim Tinto Reserva – Red
Memórias de Santar – Red
The main goal of Santar Vila Jardim Wines is to fully exploit, to the advantage of its wines’ originality and complexity, the combinations of different grape varieties contributed by the various plots.
Pedro de Vasconcellos e Souza stresses that, apart from the vats’ elegant aesthetics, in enological terms we need to extract the best from the grapes. During the alcoholic fermentation stage of red wines, these vats, thanks to their inverted conical shape, allow for a wider contact interface between the vinic mass and the must. This results in improved colour extraction and a better balance between tannic structure, fat and sweetness, avoiding bitterness and minimizing the grapes’ plant character. In the dynamic stage called “délastage”, the vats’ conical shape favours self-pressing through the action of gravity, resulting in a 5% to 7% increase in liquid volume.
This technique prevents the wine becoming too concentrated. It will instead be a fruity red endowed with elegance, finesse and singularity.
*National mobile network
**National landline network
