CH by Chocapalha

CH by Chocapalha bottle image

Wine Description

CH by Chocapalha is an homage to the Swiss origins of the Tavares da Silva family. This wine is a pure expression of Touriga Nacional fermented in traditional granite lagares and aged in French oak barriques for 24 months before bottling.

  

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Acclaim
“Sandalwood, nutmeg, dark cherries, balsamic and chili chocolate on the nose. It’s medium- to full-bodied with velvety tannins. Rich, creamy and opulently spicy.”
— James Suckling, Dec 2022
“The 2019 CH is a Touriga Nacional aged for 22 months in 30% new French barriques. It comes in at 12.9% alcohol, a two-point drop from the 2018, which is quite a drop. It is even a bit light compared to the years before 2018. This is a very different Touriga, but it still expresses the flavors and aromatics beautifully. You taste the blue fruits, and it smells great. It is very successful, if not very concentrated, emphasizing elegance but never short of flavor. The structure is not as impressive as some have been. This seems ready now. It will still age but perhaps not quite as well as some.
— Wine Advocate, Aug 2022
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
The Vinha Grande Vineyard
Soil composition
Calcareous and Clay
Training method
Guyot
Elevation:
660 feet
Vines/acre:
1600
Yield/acre:
0.8 tons
Exposure:
South-North
Harvest time:
September
Bottles produced of this wine:
2,432
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Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
15
Varietal composition:
100% Touriga Nacional
Fermentation container:
Lagares
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
12 days
Fermentation temperature:
79 °F
Maceration technique:
Punchdown
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
24 months
Total SO2
101
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.14
Acidity:
7.4 g/L
Alcohol:
12.5 %
Dry extract:
21.1 g/L
Total SO2
101
Residual sugar:
1.8 g/L
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Wine Production

The grapes, previously de-stemmed, go through a pre-fermenting maceration at low temperature. Fermentation takes place in lagares with successive pressings by machine for 12 days, not exceeding 25ºC. The aging and malolactic fermentation occurs in French oak barriques for 22 months, before bottling.