I should probably think about doing a Portugal spin off by now, I've probably written more tasting notes than there are wines imported to Israel.
Finally, a Baga with enough age to understand how the grape matures. It's a blend of multiple vineyards. Ignore the "Vinho Regional Beiras" tag, the wine would have qualified for the Bairrada DOC appellation had Pato wished to label it thusly, but at the time he rebelled against what he considered over-legislation by the regulating authorities. The nose suggests a marriage of Pessac and Iberia, that's the best way to describe it to outsiders, with a decently complex array of iron and red fruit. The tannins are fully resolved and need to be coaxed by air to lend a savory bite to the the fruit. It doesn't have the imperious composure of a Bordeaux or a Rioja Grand Reserva, just the graceful serenity of a mature wine and plenty of character that doesn't really require comparisons. (Feb. 4, 2021)
The technical details around this wine are a mouthful. João Pato is the baby of Maria Pato, daughter of Bairrada superstar Luis Pato. This is a red wine made from predominantly white grapes in the blend: 94% Fernão Pires (a.k.a. Maria Gomes), 6% Baga from 25 year old vines planted on .15 hectares of chalky soils (Baga) and sandy soils (Fernão Pires). Baga is such a beast that, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, it "can take the dark out of the nighttime and paint the daytime black". Baga has a personality moored in iron and graphite and it comes through here, even though the Fernão Pires white grape transforms the red fruit to mandarin oranges. It's a fascinating brunch wine, without a lot of complexity or depth. (Feb. 6, 2021)
Custom-fitted in a Burgundian mold, where battonage and aging in new French barrels coax smoky minerals and dried grass out of the Alvarinho grape. This is an approach all too common when producers introduce premium wines to so-called 'backwaters' regions. It works here because Mendes and his team tended to the grapes with enough care and sensitivity to ensure the delicate, yet clear and piercing, fruitiness of Alvarinho isn't lost under excessive oak. Lovely and singing with joy after a few hours. (Feb. 5, 2021)
Anselmo Mendes, Biscoitos, Magma Verdelho, 2018
This is a joint project/partnership between Anselmo Mendes and Diogo Lopes. This is a white wine made from the Verdelho grape from the Biscoitos D.O. in the Ajores island of Terceira. The nose shows delicate fruitiness and and a sulphurous, almost fiery minerality. The palate is saline and tangy, somewhat of a screwball without the full out funk and kink that some Atlantic islands wines I've tasted showed. Just excellent winemaking married to the exotic character that the Atlantic Ocean and dark rock soil can provide. (Feb. 8, 2021)
A sparkling wine made of yet another Portuguese white grape, Alvarelhão. It's yeasty, with a sort of metallic shading on the nose. The palate is salty, the fruit in the background. Give it time to dial down the yeasts and just enjoy it for the fun. (Feb. 11, 2021)
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