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
“A rich interpretation of the Castelão grape, the wine is opulent and generous. It has juicy black fruits that are lifted by acidity. The slight tannins are far in the background of this wine that will be ready to drink by the end of 2016.” - Best Buy
— Wine Enthusiast, Jun 2016
“The 2013 Castelão was aged for 12 months in two-year-old French barriques. It comes in at 14% alcohol. This is a rather typical Castelão, fruity and slightly candied on the edge in its youth. It also, however, does what this grape does well by adding nice structure for its level and acquiring a little complexity. It finishes with some roasted rhubarb and herbs on the end. It isn't the most concentrated wine ever, but at this price level, it is more than adequate and quite a nice bargain.
About the best set of wines I've seen from this estate in the Lisboa region, these are awfully good. They should hold well, they taste great and they come in at pretty fair price points (sometimes better than fair).”
— Wine Advocate, Mar 2016
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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:
4,000
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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
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.7
Acidity:
5.6 g/L
Alcohol:
14 %
Dry extract:
26.8 g/L
Residual sugar:
4.6 g/L