NV Filipa Pato - Bairrada Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature 3B (750ml)

Filipa Pato trained as a chemical engineer at the University of Coimbra before choosing wine over industry, working harvests in Bordeaux, Mendoza, and Margaret River to round out her education. She then returned home to Bairrada, a coastal region on Portugal's Atlantic coast that her family has farmed since the 18th century, and launched her own label in 2001, working alongside her father, Luis Pato, known locally as the "Baga rebel" for reviving the region's fortunes. Filipa and her husband, Belgian sommelier William Wouters, farm twelve biodynamically certified hectares scattered across Bairrada, focusing exclusively on the region's indigenous varieties and describing their approach simply as wines "without makeup."

This Blanc de Blancs blends Bical, Maria Gomes, and Cercial, Bairrada's classic white grapes, sourced from chalky clay slopes shaped by the region's strong Atlantic influence. The grapes are hand harvested and gently pressed, then undergo a wild-yeast primary fermentation in tank before a traditional-method secondary fermentation in bottle, resting on its lees for around nine months. It's disgorged with no dosage, keeping the wine bone-dry.

The wine pours pale yellow with fine, persistent bubbles, offering aromas of mineral, pear, thyme, and wildflower honey. The palate is rich yet lightly creamy, balanced by racy acidity that carries through to a snappy, dry finish. It's a lovely pour with oysters, grilled fish, or simply on its own as an aperitif.