{"title":"Portugal: Schist \u0026 Sand","description":"\u003cp\u003eTwo wines. Two extraordinary landscapes. From the steep, schist-covered terraces of the Douro Valley to the windswept Atlantic sand dunes of Colares, Portugal's most distinctive terroirs take center stage. Quinta do Poeira's 2021 “44 Barricas” delivers dark fruit, mineral tension, and remarkable freshness, while the 2015 Chitas Colares Tinto reveals the haunting, salt-tinged complexity of ungrafted Ramisco. Together, they offer a compelling exploration of Portuguese winemaking far beyond the familiar.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"2015-antonio-bernardino-paulo-da-silva-colares-chitas-tinto","title":"2015 António Bernardino Paulo da Silva, Colares \"Chitas\" Tinto, Colares DOC","description":"\u003cp\u003eColares is one of the most extreme, mythic wine regions on earth, set along the windswept Atlantic cliffs of Sintra. Rooted directly into deep, shifting coastal sand dunes (chão de areia), the vines here are pre-phylloxera and entirely ungrafted, since the phylloxera aphid cannot survive in loose sand. They crawl horizontally along the dunes beneath protective cane windbreaks to withstand violent ocean gales.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Chitas\" is the pinnacle of pure Ramisco, a hyper-tannic, high-acid indigenous red grape found nowhere else in the world. Fermented with native yeasts and aged for years in monumental vats of Portuguese oak and Brazilian hardwood (macaranduba), the 2015 \"Chitas\" also rested in bottle for several years before release. It opens with sour red plums, dried cranberries, crushed cedar, sea spray, iodine, leather, and wet tobacco, supported by an architectural, bracing tannic frame built to age for 50 years or more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy You'll Love It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne of the wine world's rarest treasures: 100% ungrafted, pre-phylloxera Ramisco crawling across sand dunes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSourced from the historic Chitas cellar of António Bernardino Paulo da Silva.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnrivaled Atlantic tension combining high-acid red fruit, iodine, salt spray, and firm, age-worthy tannins.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow To Serve It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServe at cool room temperature between 58°F and 62°F.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWe recommend decanting for 1 hour to allow the firm Ramisco tannins to soften and reveal floral scents.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePour into Burgundy stems to gather its high-toned maritime bouquet.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDemands rich, savory foods: pair with roasted goat, suckling pig, duck confit, or dry-aged steak.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/illage_of_Azenhas_do_Mar_1.jpg?v=1793671888\" alt='Colares \"Chitas\" Tinto, Colares DOC' style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Grape 2 Glass","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47719864500278,"sku":"SOMM2610-PDS15CLRS-750","price":94.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/colares-chitas.jpg?v=1793672573"},{"product_id":"2021-poeira-44-barricas-tinto-douro-portugal","title":"2021 Quinta do Poeira, \"44 Barricas\" Tinto, Douro","description":"\u003cp\u003eQuinta do Poeira is the personal project of celebrated winemaker Jorge Moreira (chief enologist of Quinta de la Rosa and Real Companhia Velha), set on the steep slopes of the Pinhão Valley in the Cima Corgo. Because Poeira faces due north, its vines escape the scorching afternoon sun of the Douro, allowing for slow phenolic ripening and the retention of natural acidity that runs counter to the region's reputation for heavy, over-extracted reds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"44 Barricas\" is an artisanal micro-cuvée composed strictly from 44 hand-selected French oak barrels. Fermented in traditional stone lagares with minimal intervention and aged for 16 to 18 months in French oak (roughly 20% new), the 2021 release is defined by lift, fresh fruit, and elegance: wild blueberries, crushed cassis, rockrose (esteva), wet slate, and dark chocolate, held together by fine-grained, chiseled tannins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy You'll Love It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCrafted by Jorge Moreira from cool, north-facing schist terraces in the Pinhão Valley.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLimited-production micro-cuvée named for the exact 44 selected barrels that comprise the blend.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBalances the classic dark fruit depth of the Douro with Northern Rhône-like freshness and aromatic lift.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow To Serve It\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServe at cool room temperature between 60°F and 64°F.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDecant for 45 minutes to let the floral rockrose and graphite aromatics open up.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePour into Bordeaux stems to frame its structural lines.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePair with roast lamb, grilled picanha, braised oxtail, or roasted game birds.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/Jorge_Moreira_pour.jpg?v=1793670277\" alt=\"Jorge Moreira Wine\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Grape 2 Glass","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47719953530934,"sku":"SOMM2610-PRA21BRCS-750","price":74.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/2021Poeira44BarricasTinto_Douro_Portugal.png?v=1789420509"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/collections\/illage_of_Azenhas_do_Mar.jpg?v=1793673867","url":"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/collections\/portugal-schist-sand.oembed","provider":"SommSelect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}