Tasting Notes
This 100% Tinta Carvalha, the only one monovarietal in Portugal. Tinta Carvalha is a varietal from the ancient varieties of the Alentejo vineyard,half-sister of Castelão and Moreto, daughter of the crossing between Sarigo and Alfrocheiro Preto. "My favorite of the three varietal reds from the Chão dos Eremitas is the 2021 Tinta Carvalha Chão dos Eremitas, which is also the palest, most perfumed and elegant of the three, and that's coming from a variety that does not have great a reputation for elegance. It fermented with 30% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in neutral barrels for 16 months. Apparently, it's the only wine produced with the grape in Portugal. It's lighter than it's siblings, fine-boned and subtle and comes in at a moderate 12.9% alcohol, keeping a pH of 3.54 and 5.4 grams of acidity. It comes through as very balanced and harmonious. 94pts, Luis Gutierrez, Robert Parker Wine Advocate."
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Winemaker of the Year' 2018, 'Singularity Award' 2018, 'Revelation Producer' 2017, Wine Project of the Year 2016 - it's safe to say that Antonio Macanita's mantlepiece is under some strain. But despite the high achievements and fancy awards, there's a devil-may-care adventurousness to António Maçanita which really puts us in mind of the likes of Pieter Walser or Swartland revolutionaries Adi Badenhorst and Eben Sadie in South Africa (funnily enough, Alentejo, where Antonio makes his Fitapreta wines, has been compared to Swartland in that it was traditionally dominated by co-operatives but recently we’ve seen an influx of small growers with old plots making really interesting and exciting wines). Like the Saffers, Antonio has sought to challenge wine lovers' expectations and make great new wines from often largely forgotten territories. He also surfs. He learned his trade at some of the world's top wineries - Rudd in Napa, D’Arenberg in Australia and Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux - before blazing a trail all over Portugal - from Douro to Alentejo to the Azores Islands. In addition to his own multi-region company, he also consults for 13 other wineries.