Quinta de Chocapalha Arinto 2022 750ml

The most-planted white variety on the property is Arinto, a grape that is well adapted to the region and achieves a balance between density, salinity and freshness. It’s not an exuberant grape, more with a citrus side and a nice evolution in bottle. The 2022 Arinto fermented in stainless steel and was kept in contact with fine lees for 18 months. They like to keep the bottles for some time, as the wine develops further complexity and density without losing acidity. It has a complex nose, and the secret might be that they always use a little bit of older wine in the blend, which adds nuance. It’s very clean and fresh, very good for the table, with contained ripeness and alcohol, 12.5%, despite the warmer year. It didn’t go through malolactic fermentation and kept a pH of 3.14 and 6.7 grams of acidity. It’s very fresh, vibrant and citrusy—and a great value too. They have produced this wine since 2008. It was bottled in June 2023, with 38,265 bottles produced. It’s a wine that can be drunk at age three or four and kept up to 12 or even 15 years!