MOB Gauvé 2016/2018

MOB Gauvé 2016 is an exceptional red from Portugal's Dão region, the result of a collaboration between three renowned winemakers: Jorge Moreira, Francisco Olazabal and Jorge Serôdio Borges. It's inspired by the classic profile of 1960s and 1970s Dão wines, focusing on elegance and freshness rather than heavy extraction.

The wine is often called a "masterpiece" of the winemaking trio (Moreira, Olazabal and Borges), recognised for its freshness and elegance, recalling the classic profile of 1960s and 1970s Dão wines. Critics particularly highlight its origin in century-old vines in Gouveia, which give the wine unique minerality and tension.

The Wine Advocate
RP 95+

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The 2016 Gauvé Tinto, a wine first made in 2015, has lots of complexity, elegance and nuance, keeping its composure and balance, with polished tannins and an elegant mouthfeel. It's a field blend from century-old vines, fermented in oak casks and stainless steel and aged in used 500-litre French oak barrels. It has restrained ripeness, 13% alcohol, a pH of 3.69 and 5.16 grams of acidity. 2,500 bottles were produced. It was bottled in September 2018.

M.O.B. stands for Moreira, Olazábal and Borges, that is, Jorge Moreira of Poeira, Francisco “Xito” Olazábal of Quinta do Vale Meão and Jorge Borges of Pintas, all Douro projects. They've been friends for a long time and decided to start a joint project making wines from a different region, the Dão. They started in 2011, almost 15 years ago. They leased an estate, Quinta do Corujão, with 11 hectares of vineyards in Seia, and bought it five years ago. They also lease other very old vineyards in Gouveia, at 600 metres. They make 100,000 bottles.

2022 and 2023 were quite hot, but the vines suffered more in 2023. 2021 was super balanced and fresh, and 2024 follows the same line. They always pick late, about 15 days after most producers, because their vineyards are in cool areas.

Published: 22 January 2026