Product Overview
Importer's Notes
"Tapada do Chaves’s legacy in Portugal’s Alentejo is legendary, though there were many speed bumps along the way, such as Salazar’s dictatorship, and the sale of the estate in the late 1990s to a sparkling wine company that faltered on quality for decades. In 2017, with the purchase by Fundação Eugénio de Almeida, led by one of Portugal’s most celebrated oenologists, Pedro Baptista (known for the highly coveted Pera Manca wines), it started to regain its footing. Biodynamic farming was immediately incorporated on this unique granite massif on the side of Serra de São Mamade Mountain that towers over the flatter lands typical in Alentejo. The whites grown from vineyards planted in 1903 and massale selections replanted some forty years ago are a blend of Arinto, Assario, Fernão Pires, Tamarez and Roupeiro (among others), fermented and aged in steel and old French oak barrels. The reds, some from vines planted by Senhor Chaves in 1901 are a blend of Trincadeira, Grand Noir, Aragonez and Alicante Bouschet, are aged in older French oak barrels, bottled and released around seven years after the vintage date."
Varietal Composition: Arinto, Assario, Fernao Pires, Tamarez and Roupeiro (among others)
Appellation: Alentejo DOC
Vine Age: Planted in 1903
Aging: 1+ year in French oak
89+ Points - Wine Advocate
"The 2018 Branco is mostly an unoaked blend of Arinto (35%), Antão Vaz (30%) and Fernão Pires (25%), plus a field blend from old vines. It comes in at 13% alcohol. This is unoaked, but it has an overlay that changes the flavor profile—maybe the lees aging, maybe some reduction, perhaps both. The rest is very fine, showing good concentration in mouthfeel and some power. It has a sturdy and stern feel to it. It should age well and has a good chance to evolve. Not imported, this runs around 22 euros in Portugal." -MS, 7/29/22
