The Last bottles of a recent discovery during an extensive tasting of Portuguese wines, this was one of our favorites and represents some of the great things that are happening in Portuguese viticulture. Baías e Enseadas, founded in 2012, has built a reputation for producing terroir-driven wines that emphasize structure, complexity, and traditional winemaking, led by Daniel Afonso, whose passion for wine guided him to become a winemaker in 2012. Baías e Enseadas Fernão Pires Reserva is a standout expression of this aromatic Portuguese Fernão Pires grape, crafted with precision in the coastal Lisboa region. This grape shows excellent floral expression with ripe citrus, stone fruit, and a touch of some tropical character. It is a unique variety that has excellent texture and body like that of Viognier, with the aromatic intensity of something like Gewürztraminer and the depth and acidity of a Chenin Blanc from the Loire. This is fermented in stainless steel and aged for 6 months in Burgundian casks, giving it a textured palate with layers of complexity while retaining lots of the energy and freshness of the grape. The 2021 growing season yielded high-quality fruit, balancing ripeness with fresh acidity and making for one of the best examples of this wine ever. It's an impressive, beautiful, unique, and rare example that we think fans of old-world white wines are going to love, and it is an excellent value to boot. We have some of the only bottles available right now, and with a nice note from Gilman, this is one not to miss!
John Gilman 93 pts! Other than this bottling from Daniel in 2018, I have never tasted another example of a white wine made from the Fernão-Pires grape, with these vines again planted in his vineyards in Colares. The reason Daniel does not use the Colares appellation for his wines is that the DO requires that the vines be planted on franc de pied roots in sandy soils, and his vineyards are planted on clay and chalk. In any case, he ferments this wine in stainless steel and raises it for six months in older Burgundy casks, as is the case with his Arinto. The 2021 version offers up a beautifully complex and elegant nose of fresh lime, tart pineapple, salty minerality, dried flowers, fern and a delicate topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, zesty and complex, with lovely depth at the core, fine mineral undertow and grip and a long, focused and seamlessly balanced finish. This is first class juice, with impressive backend lift. (Drink between 2024 - 2035)
2021 Baías e Enseadas Fernão Pires Baías e Enseadas Reserva
2021 Baías e Enseadas Fernão Pires Baías e Enseadas Reserva
The Last bottles of a recent discovery during an extensive tasting of Portuguese wines, this was one of our favorites and represents some of the great things that are happening in Portuguese viticulture. Baías e Enseadas, founded in 2012, has built a reputation for producing terroir-driven wines that emphasize structure, complexity, and traditional winemaking, led by Daniel Afonso, whose passion for wine guided him to become a winemaker in 2012. Baías e Enseadas Fernão Pires Reserva is a standout expression of this aromatic Portuguese Fernão Pires grape, crafted with precision in the coastal Lisboa region. This grape shows excellent floral expression with ripe citrus, stone fruit, and a touch of some tropical character. It is a unique variety that has excellent texture and body like that of Viognier, with the aromatic intensity of something like Gewürztraminer and the depth and acidity of a Chenin Blanc from the Loire. This is fermented in stainless steel and aged for 6 months in Burgundian casks, giving it a textured palate with layers of complexity while retaining lots of the energy and freshness of the grape. The 2021 growing season yielded high-quality fruit, balancing ripeness with fresh acidity and making for one of the best examples of this wine ever. It's an impressive, beautiful, unique, and rare example that we think fans of old-world white wines are going to love, and it is an excellent value to boot. We have some of the only bottles available right now, and with a nice note from Gilman, this is one not to miss!
John Gilman 93 pts! Other than this bottling from Daniel in 2018, I have never tasted another example of a white wine made from the Fernão-Pires grape, with these vines again planted in his vineyards in Colares. The reason Daniel does not use the Colares appellation for his wines is that the DO requires that the vines be planted on franc de pied roots in sandy soils, and his vineyards are planted on clay and chalk. In any case, he ferments this wine in stainless steel and raises it for six months in older Burgundy casks, as is the case with his Arinto. The 2021 version offers up a beautifully complex and elegant nose of fresh lime, tart pineapple, salty minerality, dried flowers, fern and a delicate topnote of beeswax. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, zesty and complex, with lovely depth at the core, fine mineral undertow and grip and a long, focused and seamlessly balanced finish. This is first class juice, with impressive backend lift. (Drink between 2024 - 2035)
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