Quinta de Saes Estagio Prolongado 2021
Region: Dão
Producer: Quinta de Saes - da Pellada
Why we chose this wine
Alvaro Castro perfectly embodies the essence of The Portugal Collection. At the end of 2018, Alvaro Castro will carry out its 30th harvest as an independent winegrower. We have been following him since 2003 and consider him to be one of Portugal's key winemakers, a player in the qualitative rebirth of Portuguese wines, if only for having, almost single-handedly, put the Dão region back on the map. He has been assisted by his daughter Maria for several years. Their elegant wines make the region shine like in the good old days. His vineyards are located in the Dao region, on a granite terroir on a mountain plateau at an altitude of 450m.
Alvaro's more accessible vintages are marketed under the label of Quinta de Saes, while it bottles distinguished wines for laying down under the name Quinta da Pelleda.
Saes is Alvaro Castro's base wine, but he immediately raises the standard for his premium vintages. This Dão offers a demonstration of personality quite rare in its price range.
The Estagio Prolongado is the fantastic middle class of Alvaro Castro's assortment. The backbone of this wine is made up of 50-year-old plots of land, planted according to the traditional method of "co-planting".
Alvaro's more accessible vintages are marketed under the label of Quinta de Saes, while it bottles distinguished wines for laying down under the name Quinta da Pelleda.
Saes is Alvaro Castro's base wine, but he immediately raises the standard for his premium vintages. This Dão offers a demonstration of personality quite rare in its price range.
The Estagio Prolongado is the fantastic middle class of Alvaro Castro's assortment. The backbone of this wine is made up of 50-year-old plots of land, planted according to the traditional method of "co-planting".
| Volume | 75.0 cl. |
| Grape Variety | Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro Preto, Jaen, Tinta Roriz |
| Drinking window | 2023-2031 |
| Alc. | 13.0% |
| Vinification | After destemming, the grapes undergo a long maceration in open stainless steel vats. Fermentation also takes place in stainless steel vats. Towards the end of fermentation, the wine is transferred to wooden barrels. |
| Ripening | Depending on the year, the wine is aged between 12 and 18 months in used barrels. |
Waar serveer je ’m bij?
The name is the method: extended ageing, at least eighteen months in old casks. Old wood no longer gives off flavour but lets the wine breathe slowly, so the tannin is already round by the time the bottle is opened. This is Alvaro Castro's mid-range, ready to drink immediately and giving up nothing on length.
Drie gerechten die werken
Roast chicken with garlic and lemon
Roast pork with apple
Pollo al ajillo, plenty of garlic and white wine
Roast pork with apple
Pollo al ajillo, plenty of garlic and white wine
Vegetarisch
Pasta with tomato, olives and capers
Minder geschikt bij
Raw shellfish and delicate fish: the tannin, however round, turns metallic there.
Voor de Portugees geïnspireerde kok
Arroz de frango do campo — rice with free-range chicken, chouriço and mint
Serveren op 15–16 °C
What the critics say
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
92+/ 100
Published 22-01-2026
Drink: 2025–2031
Drink: 2025–2031
“The 2021 Quinta de Saes Estagio Prolongado is a blend of 70% field blend from old vines and 10% each Touriga Nacional, Jaen and Alfrocheiro. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in used 400-liter barrels for 18 months. It is very good, with definition and purity, floral and aromatic, attractive, clean and open. It has 13.3% alcohol, a balanced mouthfeel with fine tannins and a bone-dry finish. It was bottled in November 2024.”
— Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker Wine Advocate