91 Mark Squires - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"The 2010 VINHAS VELHAS red is a big uptick in depth and power over its elegant sibling, the Vinha Barrosa. Intense, crisp and quite stunning this year, it is gripping on the finish, silky and impressive. Its structure and acidity should give it a long life ahead, but it has the depth to support those structural items as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if this closes down hard for a couple of years in the near future. Beware. Drink 2014-2030.

These were poured as part of verticals and other “studies” at Pato’s winery, which is probably Portugal’s best known Baga producer. Everything here was retasted in the USA, but for the two library wines (the 1990 Vinhas Velhas and the 2001 Vinhas Velhas). For Pato, it is Baga and more Baga—sparklers may be blanc de noir, although a little pink. They are (except the Duet) all Baga. The sweet Abafados are Baga, too. (The white wines, however, are not, but even the Fernao Pires has 6% Baga skins.) Baga, with somewhat rustic tendencies, is not always the easiest grape from Portugal to appreciate as it can be quite difficult to master both as a winemaker and consumer, with high acidity and astringency being par for the course. A bit contrary to modern trends, it is also likelier to be earthy than sweet. But if pure Baga can be civilized, if it has a high expression and makes its case, this is one of the short list places where you most likely will learn to appreciate it. Pato has a longstanding reputation as the man who has made Bairrada (although he often uses regional designations), but it still seems to me, even given my past incarnations as a Baga agnostic, that he has upped his game of late and proven his points. I’ve never been happier with his wines than with this collection. These recent releases are consistent and increasingly superb—and with minor exceptions there are often terrific values here, like the Vinhas Velhas Branco and the sparklers, not to mention the delicious Abafados. Both reds and whites were very fine and may yet have further room for improvement as they develop in the cellar. Note: the sparklers come with no real appellation designation, but Pato says that they aren’t quite Vinho de Mesa because they have a grape and vintage designation. Also, apart from the library wines here, some of these are not imported, in particular, the Vinha Formal 2011, Vinha Barrosa 2009 and 2010 and the Fernao Pires, which is all rather regrettable, but still leaves a lot of fine wines and excellent values."

90 Wine & Spirits

"Luis Pato conducts two harvests on the old vines he grows in Bairrada’s clay-limestone soils. The first in August, taking about two-thirds of the crop for sparkling wine; the second, later in the season, when the vines have matured the tannins in the Baga grapes. In 2010, he achieved a wine with pure red berry fruit, fragrant with spice, carried along on a narrow structure. One taster described it as “pinot noir in a knight’s armor.”"