Tinto y Blanco » Baga

Luis Pato Vinha Barrosa 2005

Dave Worthington — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:22:04 +0000

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

Dave Worthington — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:00:07 +0000

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

Dave Worthington — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:14:01 +0000

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 Vinha Barrosa 2003

Dave Worthington — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 01:11:51 +0000

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

Dave Worthington — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 00:36:53 +0000

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