WTN: FP Baga '12..(short/boring)

Tried this last night w/ my beet soup:
1. FP Baga IGP: Beira Atlantico VinoTinto ("Authentic Wines Without Makeup"; 12%; L2012-T) Filipa Pato/Ribeiro da Gandara/Portugal 2012: Med.light color; some cherry/raspberry bit piney/fresh Christmas tree/PineSol some spicy/perfumed light earthy interesting nose; fairly tart/lean somewhat earthy light spicy/cherry/piney/woodsy/PineSol flavor w/ light angular/bitey tannins; med. tart/lean/bit thin some cherry/cherry cough syrup/raspberry/bright rather earthy/dusty slight piney/woodsy/pine forest floor finish w/ light/astringent tannins; a rather pleasant/interesting rustic/simple VinoTinto at a very fair price. $17.60 (CB)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Baga is the workhorse grape of the Barraida in Portugal, between the Dao and the Atlantic. Thick-skinned so yields fairly tannic wines. Late to ripen so they can sometimes be rather acidic. Supposedly the bulk of MateusRose (is that wine still around??) came from Baga. Filipa is the daughter of LuisPato, the most celebrated winemaker in Barraida
Tom

Tom, I have a Luis Pato Baga in the cellar!

Your 'Pine Sol' note bothers me a bit, but Baga is a very interesting grape. I understand Filipa is going for a more Burgundian style wine with the FP Baga, but I haven't tasted it. Her 'Nossa Calcario' white made from Bical is smashing wine - try it if you see it. My favorite producer of Baga based wines is the Quinta das Bageiras: their Garrafeira (a designation given to the top, most ageworthy wines in Portugal) is probably the most consistently good Bairrada made (both the red and white). When young, these wines come off as pretty large and tannic, but can take on a more transparent, delicate character after 10 or more years. It's development has been compared to a good, aged Nebbiolo wine. Or even Pinot.

In the past, they would say that maybe half the Baga vintages were capable of producing fine wine, but with producers like the Patos, and Bageiras this isn't really the case anymore. Climate change, vineyard management, or ???? Old timers from Portugal generally have a low opinion of Bairrada wines, probably based on the co-op or Mateus like stuff made in the region (although I've been told to try some Mateus, as it isn't too bad in its own way). There is a lot of wine geek interest in seeing what Baga can do, with even Dirk Niepoort, who likes to explore, purchasing a quinta in Bairrada and producing some really good stuff (so they say - hasn't shown up here). Baga is also found in the old mixed vineyards in the Dao region. I recently had the 2010 'Elfa' from the organic producer Casa de Moruaz, which was delightfully exotic and herbal, and is presumably made from a field blend of 30 varieties, including Baga (and with no Touriga Nacional, generally considered the great red grape of Dao).