Luis Pato Vinha Barrosa 2005

This is the older brother of the Vinha Pan, its made from 80 year old vines and this extra vine age really shows in the resulting wine. Its more deeply flavoured and meaty. Its starting to edge towards full bodied as well. This is my pick of the two, but it’s like splitting hairs really.

I also had a look at some of Alvaro Castro’s wines from the nearby Dao region last week, I should have some notes up by the end of the week.

A bit deeper in colour than the Pan. A gorgeous nose of raspberry, violets, a bit earthy undergrowth, cinnamon, nutmeg and smoked paprika. Luxury mouth feel, with a touch of grip and just the right amount of acid. The palate is a bit minty, and shows more raspberry with some mulberry, plum and cola. Intense and concentrated with a very long finish. An intriguing wine that will be a pleasure to drink over the next 20 years. 93+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $100 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.luispato.com

Other Vintages: 2003

Luis Pato Vinha Pan 2005

I had a look at the 2003s of both these wines last year and was very impressed, but the wines were not being imported at the time. They are now being imported and the 2005s have just arrived, and boy are they good. I’ve seen them at a couple of tastings now, and the crowd reaction seems to be you either love them or can’t stand them. Personally, I’m a big fan of medium bodied wines with plenty of character and that describes these wines to a tee.

Every thing about this wine is medium: medium red in colour and medium bodied. All this mediumness is refreshing after a couple of block busters of late. The nose is a bit funky and earthy with some lovely cherry and raspberry with some bay leaf and pine resin/eucalyptus. Excellent balance and intensity with earthy and minerally raspberry flavours and driving acid. Textured thanks to some fine grained tannins and a very long finish. Drinking great now, but it will improve in the cellar over the long term, the 95 is drinking like a champ at the moment. 93+ Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $100 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.luispato.com

Other Vintages: 2003

Luis Pato Tinto 2005

I'm a bit flat out at the moment so, just a quick note today.  The Tinto is Luis Pato's basic baga wine, its made from 90% Baga and 10% Touriga Nacional.  I've been impressed by these wines, it is a great range and if you a interesting in Portuguese wine or maybe just something different, you should be tracking them down right now.  This is certainly a producer I want to visit next time I'm in Portugal (when ever that will be!).

A vibrant red in colour, with really appealing aromas of dusty, but juicy red currents and cherries with a bit of wild game.  Tart and lean in the mouth, but with sweet cherry and red current fruit followed up with some pepper and spice.  The finish is a bit short, but another sip in never far away.  Its goes down very easily.  89 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $28 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.luispato.com

Luis Pato “João Pato” Touriga Nacional 2005

Here is another wine from Luis Pato. He must be a busy bloke, it looks like he makes about 20 wines.  This one is 100% Touriga Nacional, thats about all I know about this one at the moment.  But I do know that all of the Luis Pato wines seem very good structure and length, it seems to be part of the house style.

Nose of mocha, red current and raspberry, smoke, some nice violets and a faint wiff of freshly baked biscuits.  Oh and a handful of herbs. In the mouth there is some pepper and clove with juicy red cherry and blueberry with a touch of cola.  Quite structured with good acid and firm tannins.   A long tangy finish with a blast of cherry. You could drink now or over the next 5 years. 89 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $28 Closure: Conventional Cork

Web: www.luispato.com

Luis Pato Vinha Barrosa 2003

The second of the pair, the Borrosa is another single vineyard baga wine from Luis Pato. The Barrosa vineyard is made up of 5800, 80 year old baga vines surrounded by pine trees in clay/linestone soil. While these wines are powerful and full of fruit, they are restrained, supple and stylish, almost burgundian in style. The Barrosa really shows its old vine pedigree with added complexity and depth of flavour.

Deep purple in colour. What a nose: violets, mulberries, plum with earth, mushrooms and loads of spice and herbs. There is a note of eucalyptus with a bit more air. Great mouthfeel, smooths and silky with great tannins and a touch of acid. The palate shows concentrated fruit, mulberry, plum, black current, cola. And mint, it may be too much for some, not me. The finish is very long. Beautiful wine. 92 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: around $55 when released

Closure: Conventional Cork Web: www.luispato.com

Luis Pato Vinha Pan 2003

This is one of two single vineyard wines made from the Baga grape.  Yes, it kind of sounds like buggar, which is excellent in my book.  Walk up to the bar and order a couple of buggars…  Whatever the name of the grape, these two wines deserve some real attention, they are fantastic wines that show real promise. 

Baga, which means berry in Portugese, is renowned for producing wines that need a big sleep in the cellar before drinking and are very long lived.  This is mainly due to the monstrous levels of acid and tannin in the traditional wines.  Apparently the main cause of this was that most producers didn't de-stem.  Luis Pato has been one of the leaders here, and both these wines have been de-stemmed prior to fermentation. 

This wine is made from the Pan vineyard, with a mix of 80 (.4 ha) and 20 (1.8 Ha) year old vines grown in clay and limestone soil.  Its then aged for 12 months in new French oak, which the wine seems to lap up.  I'm told these wines go very well with the local dish of suckling pig and piri piri sauce.  I'm off to the butchers now…

Dark purple wih a royal purple fringe.  Red currents, light game, pepper and spice, minerally and earthy.  In the mouth the wine is very refined, but powerful.  Great balance and structure, you can see the potential for this to age, but its great drinking now.  On the palate its full of mulberry, mocha coffee, with a slight rasin character.  The lighter wine of the two but different and exotic.  91 Pts

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: around $55 when released 

Closure: Conventional Cork Web: www.luispato.com

Luis Pato Vinha Formal 2004

The Vinha Formal is 100% Bical.  Again, this wine needs to be a bit warmer to really show its stuff.  Too cold and it looks all angular and awkward with loads of acid, let it warm up a bit and its a lovely drink.

The wines in this range (there are 3) aren't currently available, but they should be available later in year.  If you're really desperate to give one a try, call the guys at TSA and they might be able to help you out.

Light gold in colour, with aromas of lemon, roasted pineapple and fennel bulb with ginger, spice, candle wax, some kind of nut and a wiff oak good oak.  Luxurious mouth feel, waxy and oily with flavours of lemon, minerals and a mix of suitable herbs.  The finish is very long with touches of mineral.  This is a world class wine that shows real character and great winemaking.  92 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: N/A Closure: Conventional Cork

Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Brancho 2005

Luis Pato is one of the leading players in the DO Bairrada, he has been leading the way with modern techniques and equipment with a number of ingenious varieties.  Apparently the Bairrada DO has such a poor name in the market that Luis now labels most of his wine under a regional appleation of Beiras.  Pato mean duck in both Portuguese and Spanish, so there is an image of a duck on all of his labels.  Luis the duck, sounds like a '20s mobster.  Nice.

This wine and its bigger brother (notes to come) are possibly the most interesting white wines I've had this year.  Very textural and complex.  If you like Hunter Semillion, I think you will like these wines.  This is the entry level wine, a blend of Bical, Cerceal and Secialinho that sees a bit of time in french oak.  Don't chill this too much, is seems a bit woody and ripe pineappley if it is too cold.  Try around 15 degrees.

The wine is a pale straw colour in the glass with a nose of roasted fennel bulb, smoke, ginger and spice, candle wax and light oak.  The texture in the mouth is the main attraction here, waxy with some nutty flavours as well as minerals, lemons and a nice buttered toast character.  The finish is very long long and the wine shows great balance.  A very classy drink. 89 Pts.

Source: The Spanish Acquisition Price: $25 Closure: Conventional Cork