Filipa Pato - 'Territorio Vivo' - Baga - Bairrada, PT - 2020

Filipa's higher end, single vineyard wines are some of the most thrilling in Portugal, and certainly some of the most classic. Her focus on tradition in a modern winemaking standard of quality leads to absolute magic - wines that are entirely un-powdered and yet precise and refined.
This wine is an exceptional example of Bical grapes, over 80 years old and growing in a vein of pure jurassic limestone. SPECIAL!

Production, Vinification technics:
The grapes are handpicked from different vineyards in Bairrada. Partly destemmed, fermented in open oak lagares with some extraction (pigeage) and less maceration on the skins. After the fermentation the wine is aged in 500 – 600 l used pipas and tonel (big cask).

Soil/Climate etc.:
Chalky clay midslopes from the Jurassic Inferior with eastern orientation to the sun and a very intense Atlantic influence (we are only 15 km from the ocean). For this wine the grapes come from different small plots of very old vineyards (ca 80 years), we just took over and are converting to our practises.
Winemaker’s Notes:
This “Territorio Vivo” is a delicate Baga, it reflects the true term of “Living Terroir”. The heritage of old vineyards of our emblematic Baga grape is a richness to be relished. Some of them are over 80 years old. The subsoils are chalky clay and the vineyards are South East oriented on fairly steep slopes. The vinification is done in an authentic open oak lagar during 3 to 4 weeks and then aged in traditional pipas for about 8 months. This results in a deep intense cherry color with splendid harmonious fruit on the nose, in the mouth it is elegant, pure and structured with a good grip and excellent acidity. It will be a perfect match for refined recipes (not too spicy): fillet of beef, fillet of veal, pigeon, duck and creamy cheeses. Serve it in elegant glasses at 16°-18°, when young better aerate in a wide open decanter. This wine will age very well and will be able to be appreciated between 7 to 20 years according to the vintage and cellaring conditions. This 2020 is -for many reasons- an unforgettable harvest. We had an attack of rabbits on all our old vines of Baga. The rabbits ate all grapes til 30 cm from the soil. This left us with high quality grapes but a really tiny crop. Making wine close to nature without using pesticides or herbicides can be quite a challenge , certainly when your terroir is very much alive!!!
Colour:
Brilliant intense dark cherry red colour with a present viscosity.
Bouquet:

The nose is complex with aromas of stone fruit (cherry, black plums), cacao, cigar leaves and cedar wood.

Filipa Pato and William Wouters is a magical wife and husband collaboration.
Our philosophy is simple: create authentic wines without make-up, they express the true nature of the vineyards from which they come.
We focus on indigenous grapes only. Baga, Bical, Arinto, Cercial and Maria Gomes create soulful wines from vineyard sites with soils, microclimats and aspect ideal for growing our exquisite wine grapes with biodymanic viticultural practices. In the winery we gently handle the grapes, minimal intervention and strict monitoring of the wine allow our grapes to express themselves fully.
Ultimately we create "terroir" wines by uniting knowledge, art and nature to produce "withoutmake-up", each wine with its own character.
Filipa Pato - winegrower in Bairrada. A graduate of the University of Coimbra as a Chemical engineer refined her Winemaker skills doing harvests in Bordeaux, France - Mendoza, Argentina and Margaret River, Australia and with her father Luis Pato, the Baga rebel.
William Wouters - chef/sommelier/restaurateur. William comes from a restaurateur family from Antwerp, Belgium. He is a sommelier champion, restaurateur and former head chef of the Belgian national Soccer team on the World cup in Brazil and the European cup in France.
Together Filipa & William share all their experiences: the love for food and wine, encounters with great wine growers, sommeliers and wine lovers from all over the world and the magical, inexhaustible culture of the World of wine. Today for Filipa & William, Ois do Bairro is the center of their wine universe. They will be happy to share all their passion of food and wine.
Drink local, eat local and ... think global 😉