Super-Portuguese: Luis Pato
By Jim Clarke
When it comes to wine, Portugal has
meant Port for a long time (or maybe Madeira as well, for
those who remember that cluster of islands in the Atlantic
is a Portuguese possession). But the smaller nation of the
Iberian peninsula has been taking another look at their
table wines: the Douro, where Port is made, is making more
and more unfortified wines, the Alentejo is running over
with up-and-coming producers, and regions already known
for table wines like the Dao and Bairrada have bolstered
their quality as well.
But you know you’ve made it when a producer in a
classic area decides that the region’s winemaking
regulations are too limiting and declassifies their wine
into some broader category that gives them more freedom
– think of Italy’s Super-Tuscans or Alsace’s
white blends of Grand Cru grapes.
Portugal joined their ranks in 1999, when Luis Pato has
backed out of the Bairrada DOC to bottle his wines under
the Vinho Regional Beiras appellation. The decision marked
the growing momentum of the winery, which started major
improvements fifteen years previously.
However, abandoning the DOC did not mean adding international
varietals and tons of new French oak. For a small country,
Portugal is dotted with a bewildering variety of indigenous
varietals, many of which are capable of making high-quality
wines. Bairrada claims Baga (for reds) and Bical (for whites)
as its own, and Pato has largely kept true to them, while
Port fave Touriga Nacional makes an appearance in his single-vineyard
Quinta do Ribeirinho.
Whites
Luis
Pato has two takes on Bical. The first, Vinha Formal
2004, really gets at the grape’s natural
flavors: peach, flowers, and minerals, with high acidity
and surprising length – a reminder that Bairrada lies
close to the sea, which both helps moderate vineyard temperatures
(and help maintain that acidity), and provides the seafood
that matches so well with this wine. The Vinhas
Velhas 2004 (Old Vine) is Bical blended with a
few other grapes, and sees some time in French oak. The
effect is subtle, adding a clove-like spiciness to the pear
and mineral flavors; the Vinho Velhas is heftier and less
overtly crisp than the Vinho Formal.
Pato makes a third white from a blend of other native grapes,
Maria Gomes and Arinto. The Maria Gomes grape is prone to
adding a peppery note, not unlike that of Austria’s
Gruner Veltliner; Pato’s Maria Gomes 2004
blends that aroma together with touches of grapefruit, mineral,
lemon, and a leesy quality reminiscent of Muscadet. It’s
light and very crisp; another wine for scallops, oysters,
and the rest of their kin.
Reds
Baga
is a tough grape, and its wines often remind me of a rustic
cross between Syrah and Pinot Noir, with the former’s
spice and dark fruit aromas and the latter’s acidity
and mushroom scents. Traditional winemaking has emphasized
its astringent qualities, but Pato’s background as
a chemist comes to the fore when he sees the potential of
a grape like this and puts modern winemaking to work. The
Vinha Pan 2003 is the most international
in style, a full-bodied wine with lots of blackberries,
cola, and earth rounded out my well-balanced tannins. The
Vinha Barrosa 2003 is more complex, with
notes of mushroom, cassis, and cola, and impressive length
as well. The third Baga-based wine is a surprise: the Espumante
Casta Baga 2003 is a sparkling rosé, smooth
and full-bodied, with notes of strawberry and mushroom –
an unusual earthiness in a sparkling wine.
The
Quinta do Ribierinho vineyard is planted with Baga and Touriga
Nacional, one of the Douro’s star grapes. Here they
are blended together; in the Quinta do Ribierinho
Primeira Escolha 2003 the result is a big, multi-dimensional
wine; the Touriga’s smoke and chocolate aromas layering
themselves in among the mushroom and earthy scents of the
Baga. It’s a real winner, with international appeal
but a distinct Portuguese style. In that sense it embodies
Luis Pato’s stance: looking to traditional grapes
and vineyards for their character while at the same time
embracing modern winemaking.
