Winemaker Notes
Deeply expressive, CH by Chocapalha displays bold, dark fruit aromas on the nose with subtle nuances of leather and violet. The structured palate is supported by firm tannins and enticing flavors of black currant and raspberry followed by a remarkable finish.
Pair with slow roasted brisket or braised lamb shanks.
100% Touriga Nacional
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The name CH, the international country code for Switzerland, is a reference to the family's part Swiss background. The wine is rich and full of dark tannins, concentrated with black fruits. At the same time, it has a fresh black fruits that suggest its youthfulness. Age further and start drinking from 2026.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
A well-spiced, elegant version, with a pure note of crushed mulberry accented by dried lavender and thyme, minerally iron and graphite. Medium-bodied and supple, this is framed by chalky tannins and orange peel acidity. Touriga Nacional. Drink now through 2030. 300 cases made, 150 cases imported.
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James Suckling
Notes of candied apples and quince with spices, walnuts and hints of caramel. It is layered and weighty yet refreshed with a tangy and bright acidity, that push the flinty and citrusy character forward. Medium finish.
Gaining great popularity for its bold but beautifully aromatic dry red wines, Touriga Nacional is the noblest variety in Port wine. Most likely originating from the Dão region, today it grows throughout the Douro Valley as well. Somm Secret—As many as 80 grape varieties can be used to make Port wine, each contributing something unique to the resulting blend. Touriga Nacional adds great color, tannins and aromatics.
Best known for intense, impressive and age-worthy fortified wines, Portugal relies almost exclusively on its many indigenous grape varieties. Bordering Spain to its north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean on its west and south coasts, this is a land where tradition reigns supreme, due to its relative geographical and, for much of the 20th century, political isolation. A long and narrow but small country, Portugal claims considerable diversity in climate and wine styles, with milder weather in the north and significantly more rainfall near the coast.
While Port (named after its city of Oporto on the Atlantic Coast at the end of the Douro Valley), made Portugal famous, Portugal is also an excellent source of dry red and white Portuguese wines of various styles.
The Douro Valley produces full-bodied and concentrated dry red Portuguese wines made from the same set of grape varieties used for Port, which include Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (Spain’s Tempranillo), Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão, among a long list of others in minor proportions.
Other dry Portuguese wines include the tart, slightly effervescent Vinho Verde white wine, made in the north, and the bright, elegant reds and whites of the Dão as well as the bold, and fruit-driven reds and whites of the southern, Alentejo.
The nation’s other important fortified wine, Madeira, is produced on the eponymous island off the North African coast.