A harmonious olive oil, with a deep greenish yellow color and a green grassy aroma typical of the ‘Cobrançosa’ variety. It shows a lightly piquant, and bitter flavor end that give balance finish, due to the early harvesting of the fruit.

Full Vintage Note here.

Ripe red berry and plum fruit aromas with chocolate notes and some spicy oak. Well balanced palate with a long finish.

Full Vintage Note here.

The wine shows ripe plum fruit aromas with cinnamon spice, a rich, round palate with lush fruit and soft tannins.

Full Vintage Note here.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine - August Issue BUYING GUIDE WINE Ratings

90 (Editors Choice) Cortes de Cima Syrah 2007

88 Cortes de Cima 2008

87 Chaminé Branco 2009

86 Chaminé Tinto 2009

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Wine Enthusiast Magazine – August Issue BUYING GUIDE WINE Ratings

91 Cortes de Cima Petite Verdot 2008

It is rare to find a pure Petit Verdot (the grape used in some blends in Bordeaux) anywhere, let alone in Portugal. The Alentejo is a good place, with guaranteed ripeness for this fickle grape. Dark in color, packed with dense tannins and a heavy layer of wood, this is not for the faint-hearted. It is certainly ripe and rich. – R.V. (8/1/2010) – 91

90 (Editors Choice) Cortes de Cima  Syrah 2007

A firmly structured wine, its tannins well bedded into perfumed black plum fruits. It has juicy, fresh acidity over the rich fruits, giving brightness to an otherwise weighty wine. – R.V. (8/1/2010) – 90

88 Cortes de Cima 2008

Already showing good balance between ripe wood and plum and blackberry fruits, this is a full wine. The acidity is a welcome layer of juicy freshness in the rich texture. Drink now and over the next 2–3 years. – R.V. (8/1/2010)

87 Chaminé Branco 2009

Crisp acidity and an attractive line in vivid citrus give a fresh, ready-to-drink wine. It has a bright pear juice final flavor. – R.V. (8/1/2010)

86 Chaminé Tinto 2009

A fresh-faced wine, bright with berry fruits, a light layer of tannins and a soft, easy texture. There is some stalkiness but this is great as a delicious, easy wine. – R.V. (8/1/2010)

Our winery crew are freshly back from their long summer breaks with revitalized energy, doubled in numbers with the temporary addition of winery interns in anticipation of the long, back-breaking shifts associated with vintage. Moseying around the winery, they are impatient for the real action to start. Listlessly they long for the winery to fill with the familiar smells of musts and grape pomace, the non-stop hum of pumps gently pumping over the musts, the buzz of presses extracting the last juices…

The talk in the local Vidigueira cafés, confirms the same story for most grapegrowers here in the Baixo Alentejo – an early jump-start to harvest, followed by the current lull, while waiting for further ripeness. Only the vineyards which have not been carefully irrigated during the double whammy of summer heat spells in July and August, and whose vines have suffered from stress, loss of leaf canopy and premature ripening, are left with no choice but to rush to harvest inferior quality fruit with low phenolic ripeness.

The 2010 vintage at this point in time, is looking complicated. The unusual cold wet winter precipitated a late growing season, with the vineyard running 1 – 2 weeks behind schedule. The poor weather during flowering has resulted in poor fruit set and uneven ripening in some varieties, like Syrah. The hot weather in July and August, with record-setting temperatures up to +3ºC over average, caused varieties like Aragonez to shutdown, and subsequent delayed ripening. Quantity wise, the abundance of fruit bunches bodes a large harvest, if the weather continues dry and warm during the month of September, giving us ample time to bring in the fruit only when it reaches it’s optimal ripeness. So wish us luck with the weather… and let the Vintage commence!

138.900 bottles 75 cl, 620 bottles 1.5 l

The wine shows spicy, fruit on a full rich palate, elegant with a long finish. Fresh and beautifully balanced, it will drink well on release but with structure and fruit intensity to guarantee bottle improvement for another few years.

Full Vintage Note here.

Cortes de Cima | 7960-189 Vidigueira | Portugal | Tel: (+351) 284 460 060 | Fax: (+351) 284 460 068

50% Aragonez, 45% Syrah, 5% Touriga Nacional. No barrel ageing.

Alcohol: 13.5%

60.100 bottles 75 cl

With intense ruby colours and attractive ripe berry character. A fresh and young wine that is ready for immediate drinking.

Full Vintage note here.