Quinta de Chocapalha launches Arinto Antigo

With a deep respect for ancestral methods, representative of traditions that persist to this day, the newcomer Quinta de Chocapalha Arinto Antigo was born. The new reference for the already emblematic family project, in the Alenquer area, represents a return to its origins in a region where Arinto speaks loudest.

Coming from old vines, over 30 years old, and exposed to the north, the single variety from the 2020 harvest is the result of a long experimental period led by winemaker Sandra Tavares da Silva, daughter of the producer couple Alice and Paulo Tavares da Silva, who sought to explore the versatility of the white grape variety, giving it the stage it deserves.

The return to the origins, taking into account the winemaking legacy of the Lisbon Wine region, translates into a white wine whose fermentation took place for 28 days at low temperatures, with skin maceration or tanning, with the process ending in used French oak barrels. The aging took place in the same barrels for 24 months and in contact with the fine lees, a period to which was added another 12 months of aging in the bottle.

The dedication, both in the vineyard and in the winemaking process, resulted in a golden-colored white, with an intense and complex nose, marked by notes of petroleum, quince and flint, and in the mouth the enormous freshness and density that they go hand in hand with a texture punctuated by balanced and persistent tannins. At the moment of parting, the very long finish remains, with the structured acidity standing out and making a case for future memory.

Arinto Antigo, the house’s most recent reference, never ceases to be a tribute to the grape that is chosen by this family project – for example, the first Arinto harvest dates back to 2008. The respective launch also takes place at a time when Quinta de Chocapalha celebrates 10 years of existence as a modern winery with straight lines, built in the wine-growing landscape of Alenquer to blend in and get lost in the landscape.