Chocapalha Castelão

Castelão bottle image

Wine Description

Castelão, one of Portugal's most famed and widely planted varieties, is known for its beautiful, fruit character. Quinta de Chocapalha's interpretation of this varietal is a stunning example. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in French oak for 12 months, this Castelão retains its fresh fruit essence long after its 6 month of refinement in bottle.

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Acclaim
“Mid garnet. Fragrant with small dark berries, notes of blackberry and raspberry and a hint of pepper. On the palate, both juicy and finely tannic, very fresh and youthful for a 2020 wine and masses of energy. Mouth-watering and satisfying at the same time. Gently chewy dry tannins that contain the exuberant fruit very well without overly subduing it. A Peter Pan wine that seems to be ageing very slowly.” – 16/20  — Jancis Robinson, Apr 2024
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Quinta de Chocapalha
Vineyard size
25 acres
Soil composition
Calcareous and Clay
Training method
Guyot
Elevation:
660 feet
Vines/acre:
1600
Yield/acre:
2 tons
Exposure:
South-North and East-West
Harvest time:
third week in September
Bottles produced of this wine:
8,900
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Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
10
Varietal composition:
100% Castelão
Fermentation container:
Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
10 days
Fermentation temperature:
79 °F
Maceration technique:
Pumpovers
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
12 months
Age of Aging Container:
Two years
Length of bottle aging:
6 months
Total SO2
85
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.4
Acidity:
5.32 g/L
Alcohol:
13.5 %
Dry extract:
28.7 g/L
Total SO2
85
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Wine Production

The grapes, which are previously de-stemmed, go through a pre-fermentation maceration at low temperatures for 12 hours. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks for 12 days, not exceeding 25ºC. The aging and malolactic fermentation occurred 50% for 14 months in used French oak barriques.