Tiago Teles COZ's Pop Castelao 2020

COZ's Pop is made from 100% Castelao sourced from Quinta da Murta in the Serra de Montejunto, a limestone mountain range approximately 8 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean in the Lisboa region. The vines are young, planted in clay-limestone soils, and farmed organically. The project name comes from Quinta dos Cozinheiros, the historic vineyard that Tiago Teles and António Marques-da-Cruz revived in 2015 in partnership.

The Pop label is the lighter, fresher expression in the COZ's lineup. Grapes are whole-cluster fermented with native yeast, given just three days of skin maceration, then pressed and aged for 11 months in old French oak barrels. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with no added sulfites. Malolactic fermentation is completed.

In the glass, the wine shows bright cranberry and sour cherry on the nose, with brown spice notes and a savory, mineral undercurrent. The palate is fresh, with soft tannins, lively acidity, and a long, clean finish. This is Castelao in its most approachable and Atlantic-driven form.