FitaPreta / Chão dos Eremitas Os Paulistas 2020

Os Paulistas, the name given to the Hermits of the order of São Paulo, had been making their wine in this place for so long that date was lost in the memories. However, the Papal Bull of 1397 exempts “Os Paulistas” from taxes on its vineyards, demonstrating the importance of this place. The place is special and receives two streams that bring the waters of Serra D’Ossa and that keep the water close and the soil fresh, with no need for irrigation for the proper development of the grapes. Grapes are also from another time, planted in 1970, Tinta Carvalha, Moreto, Castelão, Alfrocheiro and Trincadeira, showing that there was another Alentejo, without irrigation and without improving varieties. An Alentejo that is worth recovering, this is our tribute to Paulistas.

vineyard chão dos eremitas
Vineyard planted in: 1970.
Altitude: 256-267 m
Soils: granitic,, slightly acidic.
Location: Southern foothills of Serra d’Ossa. History: This place is special, you can feel it! Two streams bring the rainwater from the Serra, never lowering the water table below 5 meters. Here is where the vine used to be planted, the Chão dos Eremitas, “Chão”, an old term for ?at areas, and “Eremitas” referring to the hermit monks of Saint Paul’s order. Here, there’s evidence of uninterrupted wine production since the 14th century. But archeology goes further, discovering the only Phoenician wine amphora of Portugal’s inland, dating to the 8th century BC. This links this place to wine about 900 years before the arrival of the Romans, in which there are 3,000 years of history linked to wine.

Viticulture
Grapes under certi?cated bio production, without any herbicides.

Winemaking
Manual night harvest, selected on a choice table, 30% whole bunch of 70% destemmed, fall by gravity in the vat. Spontaneous fermentation and maceration between 25 to 40 days, followed by an 18-month aging in 3 years old French oak barrels.

Ruby color with some touches of violet, medium concentration. On the nose, a lot of red forest fruit, some bush. Fresh attack, good fruit with notes of pomegranate. Very ?ne, long and with structure.

A red with good acidity, good for meat with some fat, pot dishes.