In October 2019, my wife and I were sitting at a cosy little restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal. We were on our way to meet friends and decided to make a quick stop on the way for a glass of wine. I asked the owner if he might have an open bottle of something local and good. Knowing what I know now, I mean Covid and all, I should’ve ordered a 1.5L and stayed another week.
Anyhow, the chubby owner returned with a little bottle that looked like a big bottle, only a mini version. A half bottle (375ml) of proper wine presented in a proper way. I immediately sent my agent in the UK a photo and asked if he would throw some support my way if I bottle some of my best in little bottles.
And here we are: Orbitofrontal Cortex 2020 bottled in it’s normal bottle (750ml), half bottle (375ml) and (while I was at it) 1.5 liters as well.
I do not have a photo on hand, see below for my UK agent’s Instagram post as the wines arrived in the UK.
The wine:
This wine is a blend of Verdelho (from 2 different vineyards), Palomino, Weisser Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Chenin blanc (from 3 different vineyards), Chardonnay and Viognier.
In short, the idea is to select the white components in the winery we like most and to assemble a blend that represents that particular vintage in an honest and pure way. This is a combination of our favourite barrels/tanks/pots, not necessarily the best, just the ones we liked most. It is not bound to an area or varietal – it’s an assembly of interesting things that differ from year to year according to whatever performed well that specific season.