Cortes de Cima

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points – Homenagem a HC Andersen 2009, 90 Points – Aragonez 2009

Carrie — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:21:24 +0000

Cortes de Cima 2009 Homenagem a Hans Christian Andersen Syrah (Alentejano) 92 points – Cellar Selection! – ”A Syrah-based wine made by Cortes de Cima’s Danish owner, Hans Kristian Jorgensen, in homage to the famous Danish writer of fairy stories. It is weighty, rich, ageworthy and ripely fruity. It is packed with firm tannins as well as blackberry acidity. Keep for 3–4 years.”

Cortes de Cima 2009 Aragonez (Alentejano) 90 points – ”Aragonez, aka Tempranillo, is the Tinta Roriz of the Alentejo—just to make things simple. Whatever the name, the smooth, rich character of this wine is characteristic of the grape. It has weight, ripe damson fruit and a core of powerful tannins. Age for 3–4 years.”

Cortes de Cima 2010 Syrah (Alentejano) 87 points – ”Spicy, fresh, structured fruit, fine perfumes and a straight line of acidity that goes through the ripe plum juice flavors. With its up-front fruit, it is a young wine that is ready to drink.”

Cortes de Cima 2009 Trincadeira (Alentejano) 86 points – ”Rough around the edges, this is a wine with some barnyard flavors as well as red berry fruits. It is soft, the tannins surrounded by juiciness.”

— R.V. Published 2/1/2012

Launch of Chaminé branco 2011

Jose Eduardo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:13:59 +0000

27% Antão Vaz, 25% Viognier, 25% Verdelho e 23% Sauvignon Blanc. No barrel ageing. Alcohol: 13%

145.000 bottles 75cl, 5.000 bottles 37,5cl

It reveals an intense, elegant palate with crisp fruit, a refreshing minerality, and pleasing acidity.

Full Vintage note here.

Grandes tintos do sul – O Melhor do Alentejo

Carrie — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:43:56 +0000

Painel de Prova – O Melhor do Alentejo - Revista de Vinhos – Dezembro 2011

Cortes de Cima Reserva 2008 – ”Aroma bem maduro, com frutas pretas, alicorados, fumados, cedro. Encorpado, texturado e robusto na boca, com taninos firmes, acidez viva. Muito bem proporcionado, sedoso e envolvente.” - 18 pontos

Vintage Report 2011 – Record early start to a very good harvest

Carrie — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:47:05 +0000

“Vintages can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards,” to paraphrase philosopher Soren Kierkegaard.

Synopsis: Harvest 2011, our 16th harvest. Another record winter rainfall. Record tropical heat in May. Record early start to harvest. Superlative summer and harvest weather. Harvest quantity – up. Harvest quality – above average.

For the second year running, we had an abnormally wet winter. From October 2010 to September 2011 there was an over abundant 1650 mm of annual rainfall, just short of last year’s record 1750 mm, nearly 4 times the average, and once again filling our damns to overflowing.

The 2010/2011 vineyard calendar ran 1-2 weeks earlier than normal. Bud-break was spotted 1st of March and flowering in late April. The weather during flowering was mild, assisting in an even pollination.

May was the hottest in Portugal since records began in 1931, with tropical nights and temperatures up to +3º above normal. The abnormal heat mixed with excessive rain, created tropical humid conditions, and posed an enormous challenge for us to fight a constant threat of mildew. Some grapegrowers in the area lost their entire crop. The remainder of the summer growing season was warm, dry, and without any great detrimental heat spikes, which can shut down the vines, and stop grape maturation. With the exception of only one brief but alarming wet interlude in the first days of September, the clement summer weather lasted throughout the harvest months, well into late October.

5th August was a record early harvest start at Cortes de Cima, when the first lot of Gouveio white grapes arrived at the winery, followed by Sauvignon Blanc, Antão Vaz and Verdelho. The red grapes in their turn, had their own record early start on the 16th August with the first batch of Syrah followed by Trincadeira. At the peak, the harvest workforce topped at 75 workers and lasted 10 weeks, finishing on 12 October. The total 2011 Harvest quantity was 1,622 tons up +16% from last year. 1,396 tons red varieties and 226 tons white varieties.

This year for the first time, the largest portion of our white grapes came from our new Alentejan coastal vineyards which we started planting in 2008, near Vila Nova de Milfontes, 3km from the Atlantic Ocean. It’s exciting for us to see the impact that the cooler Alentejan coastal climate has had on these varieties, reflected in the good fruit flavors, acid and freshness of the 2011 whites, and assuring a good future for coming vintages from our coastal vineyards. In the winery, some of our best 2011 whites are Verdelho, Gouveio, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, the later which soon will be bottled as Cortes de Cima’s first coastal Sauvignon Blanc single varietal.

Among the reds, 2011 produced some excellent Syrah, Trincadeira, and Petit Verdot, while Aragonez and Touriga Nacional were less outstanding. In general, the reds are intense, fruity, with good acidity, and strong color.

With the hindsight of a Soren Kierkegaard, we can declare Vintage 2011 to have been a very good year, the best vintage since the excellent 2008. Furthermore, as it was an especially good year for Syrah, 2011 will be an ‘Incógnito’ year.

Our Top of the Range Wines from the Exceptional 2008 Vintage

Carrie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:15:13 +0000

Our Cortes de Cima Reserva and our iconic Incógnito are our ‘Top of the Range’ wines, only bottled in exceptional years. Vintage 2008 was just such a year, one of our greatest vintages of the decade, with the growing season of dry, steady warm days and cool nights, followed by perfect harvest weather.

Reserva 2008

Our Reserva 2008 appears after an absence of 3 vintages without bottling a Reserva at Cortes de Cima. Rated with 90 Parker points, it continues in the tradition of our Reservas having always scored over +90 Parker Points. (Past Reservas are – 2004 – 91 points; 2003 – 92 points; 2001 – 91 points; 1998 – 93 points; 1997 – 90 points)

“The top of the range at Cortes de Cima and deservedly so. The wine is finely structured, with a feeling of restrained power. It has all the right elements of red plum, dry, dark tannins and prominent acidity, all in balance.” – 92 – Wine Enthusiast

“It is a lovely wine, seductive and caressing on the palate, graceful, focused and lingering, with reasonably ripe tannins….a wine that slithers over the mid-palate and seems quite enticing, elegant and ethereal.” – 90 ‐ Robert Parker

Winner of 4 Silver Medals, including 1 Best in Class (IWSC UK 2011).

Read the vintage note here.

Incógnito 2008

The mystery name refers to a time when Syrah was not permitted in Alentejo. In 1991, we were the first ones to plant Syrah in the Alentejo, choosing rootstock from southern Rhone clones. Today, our range consists of 3 different 100% Syrah varietals. We culminate at the top, with our reserve quality labeling, the iconic ‘Incógnito’, only bottled in exceptional years, and with all the Hallmarks of a great world class Syrah.

“The 2008 Incognito is Syrah in full flight, gamey and showing a lot of character, and in this vintage, showing rather crisp and focused as well, with moderately ripe tannins. It is caressing on the palate. The wine seems a bit smokey as well. The mid-palate is rather elegant and focused. As Syrah goes, it is a wine that has some varietal character, and you don’t always get that in Portugal. Drink now-2020″ - 89‐ Robert Parker

3 Silver Medals

Read the vintage note here.

Silver Medal at Los Angeles Intl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition

Carrie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:25:54 +0000

Silver Medal

“Medium” Category

Cortes de Cima Olive Oil 2011

Launch of Incógnito 2008

Carrie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:45:44 +0000

100% Syrah. Barrel ageing: 6 months French Oak. Alcohol: 14.5%

9.300 bottles (75 cl)

The wine shows a complex aroma of ripe red berry fruits, with gamey notes of tobacco and tar. The palate is well balanced and nicely textured with layers of sweet savoury fruit. Elegant, intense, and persistent with a long lingering finish, and with enough structure to last for up to 10 years of bottle ageing.

Silver Medal – Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2011

Silver Medal – Vinalies International 2011

Silver Medal – Challenge International du Vin 2011

Read full vintage note here

Launch of Reserva 2008

Carrie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:45:05 +0000

44% Aragonez, 24% Touriga Nacional, 20% Syrah, 12% Petit Verdot. Barrel ageing: 14 months in French and American Oak.

6.240 bottles (75 cl)

92 – Wine Enthusiast – “The top of the range at Cortes de Cima and deservedly so. The wine is finely structured, with a feeling of restrained power. It has all the right elements of red plum, dry, dark tannins and prominent acidity, all in balance.”

90 ‐ Robert Parker – “It is a lovely wine, seductive and caressing on the palate, graceful, focused and lingering, with reasonably ripe tannins….a wine that slithers over the mid-palate and seems quite enticing, elegant and ethereal.”

Silver Medal(BEST IN CLASS) – Intl Wine & Spirit Competition UK 2011

Silver Medal – International Wine Challenge 2011

Silver Medal – Vinalies International 2011

Silver Medal – Challenge International du Vin 2011

Read full vintage note here