Quinta da Chocapalha
Beautiful wines that reflect the family's passion and commitment to the terroir Learn moreAbout Quinta da Chocapalha
A Family-owned vineyard producing the highest quality wines
Located just north of Lisbon in Portugal, Quinta de Chocapalha is a family-owned vineyard that produces a wide range of high-quality wines that span from entry level to supreme quality. The entry level wines are blends that offer tremendous value and both Mar de Lisboa and Mar de Palha are so cute they shout ‘buy me’ from the shelf. At the other end of the scale the 2016 Guarita de Chocapalha (100% Alicante Bouscat) was awarded 96 points by Robert Parker whilst CH by Chocapalha 2018 (100% Touriga Nacional) was awarded 94 points.
Sandra Tavares de Silva is recognised as one of the top winemakers in Portugal. She also runs her own company with her husband Jorge Serôdio Borges – Wine & Soul (which was the only Portuguese brand listed in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 in 2020). Sandra’s sister Andrea manages Quinta de Chocapalha with her parents, Alice and Paulo, who purchased the property in 1987.
VinAccessGlobal and Quinta da Chocapalha have been working together since 2020. We are excited to launch the range in Indonesia early in 2023 (assuming product registration is successful) and are in discussion with potential distribution partners in Singapore.
Location
Portugal
Partners since
2020
Featured Wine
Vinha Mãe
Quinta da Chocapalha Wines
A delightful range of wine that reflects the estate’s special terroir
Tasting notes and scores by JancisRobinson.com
Quinta de Chocapalha Arinto 2020 Vinho Regional Lisboa 16.5
Stony grapefruit aroma, full of citrus zest with a hint of creaminess from the lees. On the palate, extreme freshness balanced by the succulent citrus fruit. Mouth-wateringly pure, with a salty finish. Impressive persistence. (JH)
Drink 2022 – 2024
Details
Full bottle 1,200 g. 30-year-old vines on clay-limestone. Fermented in tank, then 5 months on lees.
Quinta de Chocapalha, Reserva 2020 Vinho Regional Lisboa 17 +
Lightly smoky citrus with a stone-dust mineral quality to the aroma. The merest hint of oak spice. Rich, full and creamy in the mouth, deep in lemon and lime citrus and rounded in texture thanks to the oak and the lees work, though I would never have thought this was new oak as it is very subtle. Intense and long with good ageing potential though you could enjoy the pure citrus fruit now. Mouth-watering, slightly salty finish leaves you salivating. (JH)
13% Drink 2022 – 2030
Details
Full bottle just 1,149 g. Mostly Chardonnay with some Arinto (if this is similar to the 2018, for which I have the tech sheet). North-facing vineyards (ie cooler). 28-year-old vines. Fermented in new French oak and aged in the same barrels, with lees stirring, for 9 months.
Quinta de Chocapalha, CH 2018 Vinho Regional Lisboa 17 +
Pale greeny gold. Complex aroma that goes beyond the herby grapefruit of the variety and incorporates a subtle creamy/spicy oak impression and a note of scented cedarwood. Lovely toasty hint that counterbalances the high acidity. Lingers in the mouth even at such a modest alcohol level. Precise core of citrus fruit is not lost to the oak, which is a support not a burden. Just the lightest touch of struck-match character that has virtually disappeared on the day after opening, and the impression that this is going to age very well in bottle, as Arinto can do even if it is so often drunk young. (JH)
12.5% Drink 2022 – 2028
Details
Full bottle 1,412 g. Arinto on clay-limestone soil, 28-year-old vines. Fermented and aged 9 months, with lees stirring, in French oak.
Quinta de Chocapalha 2017 Vinho Regional Lisboa 16.5
Deep crimson. Good to see that this wine with some bottle-age is the current vintage. Complex aroma of many different dark fruits, as you might expect from this blend, and a hint of violets and sweet spice but still smells fresh and lively. Super-fine chalky tannins increase the already notable freshness. Elegant and fresh and no real evidence of the oak in terms of flavour but perhaps it has rounded the tannins. Excellent balance and satisfyingly dry finish after all that pure, ripe, generous fruit. At the perfect moment for drinking though there’s no rush. The alcohol shows a little at the back of the throat if you drink this at room temperature but disappears when it is just slightly cool, which is how I seem to prefer almost all reds these days. (JH) 14% Drink 2022 – 2025
Details
Full bottle an admirably light 1,188 g. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Castelão and Alicante Bouschet. Vines 18–28 years old on clay-limestone soils. Destemmed, 12-hour cool pre-ferment maceration, fermented in robotic lagares and stainless-steel vats. Malo and 18 months’ ageing in used French oak barriques.
Quinta de Chocapalha, Vinha Mãe 2018 Vinho Regional Lisboa 17.5 +
Very dark cherry-red with opaque core. Slightly more obvious oak here than in the estate red and the Castelão 2017s just tasted, some dark chocolate, but then it is younger and has spent longer in oak. Lifted bergamot note that I associate with Touriga Nacional and elegant dark fruit. Smells ‘purple’ and lightly spiced. Lovely dry tannin texture, really dry with lots of friction, super-fine grain. Still a baby – I’m quite surprised to see the 2018 is released when their estate red is still on the 2017 vintage. Sophisticated wine even in this embryonic state. Fragrant in a stony and mineral style
on the long finish. A wine that will surely become even more elegant but needs time in bottle. Had I tasted this blind, I would have thought the alcohol was lower – it is less noticeable than on the estate red 2017. (JH) 14.5% Drink 2024 – 2033
Details
Full bottle 1,306 g. A blend of Touriga Nacional, Syrah and Tinta Roriz. Destemmed, 12-hour cool pre-ferment maceration, fermented in robotic lagares and stainless-steel vats. Malo and 20 months’ ageing in French oak barriques.
Quinta de Chocapalha, Guarita 2016 Vinho Regional Lisboa 17
Black with purple rim, as you might expect from this teinturier (red-fleshed) variety that does so well in southern Portugal. Sweet, rich, intense and spicy black fruit – blackberry not blackcurrant and a hint of something dark and charry, which may be the fruit/vineyard or the oak. Still so amazingly youthful and chewy for a 2016. On the palate, there’s the smooth thick tannins from both the variety and the interaction with the oak, and an oaky vanilla sweetness. Still very young and tannic but the texture has been smoothed as well as thickened by the oak. The alcohol seems higher than on the CH 2016 though apparently it is not. But not quite as fresh-tasting. Full, mouth-filling and should continue to age very well. (JH)
14.5% Drink 2023 – 2030
Details
Full bottle 1,306 g. Alicante Bouschet, 33-year-old vines. Destemmed, cool pre-ferment maceration, fermented in lagares. Malo and ageing 20 months in French oak barriques.
Supporting Quinta da Chocapalha
VinAccessGlobal Partners since 2020
A few words from Alison, VinAccessGlobal Founder
“I met the lovely ladies who own Quinta de Chocapalha on a cold wet Tuesday morning in Dusseldorf. We were struggling to get a taxi from our hotel to Prowein and struck up a conversation that ended with them storing my suitcase for the day on their stand, and me tasting all their wines before leaving the fair. I was struck by the delicious bright flavours, the attractive labels and the evident consistent quality and value.”
A few words from the Tavares family, Owners of Quinta da Chocapalha
“Testimonial coming soon…”
