Baga

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