Cortes de Cima "NatCool Palhete vol.2" '23

Before there was white wine and before there was red wine, there was palhete. The Roman influence of field blends in regions such as Alentejo, in Portugal, is reflected in this fun wine.

Palhete is the Portuguese term for a cofermented, mixed-varietal wine. To pay homage to this style of wine, Anna Jørgensen along with Daniel and Kalina Niepoort produced the second bottling of this wine under their NatCool brand. 

Using Anna's estate vineyards at Cortes de Cima, they blended 80% Viognier with 20% Syrah. The fruit was hand-picked at night to maximize freshness, with whole clusters of Syrah infused with spontaneous fermenting Viognier must in an old clay talha (amphora). After a week, it was pressed into stainless steel tank, where it settled over winter. 

If you taste this with your eyes closed, you may not know if it is a red or white wine. Aromas on the nose lean toward white wine, with hints of dried apricot mixed with tangerine, sour cherry, and herbs. On the palate, the fruit leans more toward high-toned red berries, with plenty of vibrant acidity. This will most certainly be a controversial wine, and a fan favorite of those who love acidity in wine. 

It is actually a perfect wine for the complexity of the Thanksgiving table, and also is a great wine for seafood as well as spicy Thai or even Indian food. They only produced 1,500 one-liter bottles of this wine, and we are excited to showcase it in the United States for the first time!