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2023 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Bairrada

2023 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Bairrada

94RP
$39.99

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Only 6 left

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Hollywood: 3 | Culver City: 3

94

Wine Advocate

Reviewed January 2026
The 2023 Vinhas Velhas Tinto, the first wine in Portugal to be called old vines back in 1988, was produced with Baga grapes from two villages, São Lourenço and Óis do Bairro, from vines averaging 35 to 40 years of age on stony clay and limestone soils. Since 2020, the wine is more aromatic and with less extraction, as they lowered the temperature of the fermentation, which occurred with indigenous yeasts and a maceration time of 10 days at 22 degrees Celsius. It has a beautiful translucent and bright ruby color and an equally bright nose that is floral and perfumed, with an ethereal side. This has always been a favorite of mine, a wine that also has a good track record for developing in bottle. It's really fine-boned and elegant, with superb balance, depth and complexity but in a subtler way. The wine matured in well-seasoned French oak barrels for two years. This is one to buy by the case and enjoy over the next decade... or two! (LG)

Staff Reviews

KK
Kerry Kennell

Kerry Kennell

Review Date: 02/2026
The 2023 Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Bairrada hails from 100% estate-grown Baga planted on clay and limestone soils. Fermented in stainless steel and aged 18 months in neutral oak, it offers baskets of ripe blackberry, briny olive, dried violets, and zesty blood orange, with a subtle touch of vanilla riding waves of muscular tannins. Decant if opening young, and serve alongside roasted meats and vegetables or a charcuterie board of aged cheeses and cured meats.

Notes

Luis Pato is one of Portugal’s most influential winemakers, known for revolutionizing the Bairrada wine region and championing the native Baga grape. He has combined tradition with innovation—crafting expressive, terroir-driven wines from indigenous varieties while rejecting international grapes. He is a strong believer that the Atlantic climate, along with his ideal clay and limestone-based soil, creates wines that are balanced and capable of long bottle aging. Pato’s work with different soil types, ungrafted vines, and harvest timing has earned him a reputation as the “King of Bairrada.” As Jancis Robinson once wrote, "This is one of the few great wine producers yet to be discovered by the growing band of American wine lovers thirsty for novel wine experiences."His daughter, Filipa Pato, is also a renowned winemaker in her own right, producing natural wines nearby with a similar focus on Baga and local varieties. Together, they represent two generations of pioneering spirit in Portuguese wine.

Details

OriginPortugal
Type/VarietalOther Red Wines
Alcohol Content13%
SKU1280021