Tinto de Castelão

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Fitapreta is António Maçanita’s estate near the ancient Roman city of Evora, located in the rolling hills of Alentejo. Since its inception in 2004, Fitapreta has pushed the boundaries of what fine winemaking can be in this region, and over the last two decades, the estate has become a benchmark for the New Portugal, earning Antonio international accolades like Winemaker of the Year, Most Unique Winemaker, and Winemaker of the Generation. Maçanita works only with indigenous varieties and showcases his estate’s terroir through exacting work: farming organically without irrigation, harvesting by hand at night, deliberate bunch sorting in the winery, and native yeast fermentation. Through his commitment to these principles, he can craft wines that represent sunny Alentejo, but which have a balance and freshness unmatched by others in the region. Maçanita finds equilibrium between tradition and modernity, and his constant exploration of vineyards has enabled him to show off a truly deep understanding of Alentejano terroir, present and past. Whether on his original estate vineyard or in his Chão dos Eremitas site, his wines contain a through-line of elegance and purity. The range of wine styles available from Fitapreta matches Antonio’s intellect, curiosity, playfulness, and rigorous attention to detail. Fitapreta has something for everyone! Tinto de Castelão is the newest addition to Fitapreta’s monovarietal line. Castelão (native to Alentejo and also known as Periquita) fell out of fashion in the era of big, concentrated reds.

WHAT MAKES THIS WINE UNIQUE?

This single-vineyard, old-vine Castelão tastes like Alentejo wines did prior to the 1970s. Locals say that in order make great wine, “Castelão needs time,” and given time to flourish, it becomes the elegant wine it was always meant to be.

RATING HISTORY:

2020 90WA, 2019 93WA

GRAPE:

100% Castelão. This is a single vineyard wine from 50-year-old vines at Chão dos Eremitas.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:

This wine makes an excellent pairing with pork and bean soup, grilled chicken thighs and mushroom risotto.

VINIFICATION AND AGING:

The grapes are hand-harvested and passed over a sorting table for intensive quality control, then gently crushed and moved by gravity into temperature regulated vats. The grapes spontaneously fermented using indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, with 30% whole cluster and a 35-day maceration. The wine ages 18 months in French oak and 2 years in bottle.

LOCATION, SOIL, CLIMATE:

Alentejo is a large region in southeastern central Portugal, the breadbasket of the country. The climate is Atlantic-Mediterranean, with significant temperature differences between day and night. This temperature range produces fruit with a natural combination of ripeness and freshness. Alentejo sees 3,000 hours of annual sunshine, making it Portugal’s sunniest region, and only 600mm of annual rainfall—less than 15% of which falls during the growing season. The soil at Chão dos Eremitas is mainly granite with sand.

TASTING NOTES:

Light ruby in color. Aromas of plum, tobacco and spice notes. On the palate it is medium-bodied, with good freshness. A wine that is bright and elegant and finishes with firm tannins.

ALCOHOL CONTENT:

13.5%