Luis Pato "Maria Gomes" Barraida, Portugal 2023

FROM GROSSBERG/KOPMAN SELECTIONS:

THE WINE:  Maria Gomes is one of the main Barraida white grapes. Two pickings are made on Maria Gomes vineyards. The 1st picking for the sparkling is made in the middle to the end of August to get a good acidity; the 2nd picking is made 2 weeks later to improve the ripeness of the remaining grapes for this white wine. Fermented in stainless steel vats and bottled young. A fresh, fruity, and incredibly delicious white wine from sandy soils of the Maria Gomes grape comes. Crisp and fresh with an enticing array of clean fresh yellow plums and a slatey texture. Juicy, slightly mineral, and finely textured. Aromas of peaches and melon dominate. Long finish.

THE PRODUCER: The Pato family has been making wine in Bairrada, at their home estate Quinta da Ribeirinho, since at least the 18th century. In 1970 when Bairrada received DOC status, Luis’ father João Pato was the first producer in the region to make wine under the new regional designation.

In the early 1980s Luis bottled his first 100% Baga wine, taking a grape that had a reputation for unyielding green tannins and taming them by introducing green harvesting in the vineyards and smaller format barrels into the cellar. Since then, Luis has been a focal point around which an entire culture of winemaking has grown. The region is now producing dozens of incredible Baga wines, and under Luis’ leadership these wines are gaining an international reputation for outstanding quality.

Luis has never stopped innovating and pushing the boundaries of great wine in Bairrada. Luis innovated a three wave “precision viticulture” approach to harvesting and winemaking that has become very popular around the region. Grapes are harvested 3 times from vineyards: the first a traditional green harvesting just after fruit set, the second time at the end of August to produce sparkling wine, and finally a third time (typically around the beginning of October) for the still wines. This three tiered approach allows the winemakers of Bairrada to help the Baga vines achieve sufficient ripeness while not dropping too much fruit to the ground, instead turning what would otherwise be a waste product into some truly excellent sparkling wines, historically a very important product in Bairrada.