Text João Pedro de Carvalho | Translation Bruno Ferreira

Harvest after harvest Herdade do Rocim has been gaining a remarkable consistency in its wines. The detail and good taste have taken over that homestead, close to Vidigueira. It’s perceptible that in all of the wines’ range there is detail and affection wrapping them. Even the way they’re disclosed, nothing is left to chance, a world of pampering directed by a feminine hand, the hand of producer Catarina Vieira. And on this journey, the wines undergo tuning and retouching, harvest after harvest, learning and showing that it is possible for great wines to be created over there.

And, by the way, mentioning great wines, the top-end of Herdade do Rocim goes by the name Grande Rocim Reserva, with its new harvest 2011 about which I write, and that was recently released to the market. A wine that has the grape variety Alicante Bouschet in its soul and essence, spent a year and a half in cask and another year in bottle before being released into the market. It is, above all, a wine full of character, bearing a heavy armor that entangles it and makes it majestic. Breathtaking and made to last through time. Despite the weight, which might be considered excessive to some, combines its more vigorous side with an enviable movement’s elegance.

Any extra time aging in bottle will only do good to this wine. At the moment it’s still a young wine, though showing great freshness in the nose, a start with juicy red fruits (berries, raspberries), a herbaceous touch, cacao, deep and cohesive set, and deep down a slight note of liqueur. Impactful mouth, of great presence, showing a powerful wine. Ample, fresh, very good structure and red fruits bursting of flavour next to some balsam, almost chewable, ending with a long spice’s tang. All in great detail, huge structure and cohesive, clean and fresh set, full of life ahead. A bottle that costs €50, with the assurance of taking home one of the best red wines made in Alentejo and in Portugal.

Contacts
Herdade do Rocim
Estrada Nacional 387 | Apartado 64
7940-909 Cuba | Alentejo
Tel: (+351) 284 415 180
Fax: (+351) 284 415 188
E-mail: pedro.ribeiro@herdadedorocim.com
Site: www.herdadedorocim.com