2025 Filipa Pato - Bairrada Bical Flos Castanea (750ml)

Filipa Pato is one of a small handful of certified biodynamic producers in Portugal and the daughter of Bairrada pioneer Luís Pato. Flos Castanea, Latin for chestnut flower, was made as a nod to her friend João Goucho, grandson of Fernando Paiva, the grandfather of Portuguese biodynamics, who championed botanical preservatives in place of sulfur.

The wine is 100 percent Bical from a single limestone-rich vineyard planted in the 1980s. The grapes are destemmed and fermented for two weeks on their skins in open-top lagar, with chestnut flowers added to serve as a natural antioxidant and preservative. The wine is then pressed and aged for about a year in large neutral pipas and some amphorae, until it reaches natural stability. The result is a skin-contact white with Bairrada’s saline minerality and extra texture.

Smoky and nutty, with orange rind, tangy citrus, chamomile, wild thyme, and hazelnut over white stone fruit and almond. The palate is sharp, chalky, and savory, with a linear, mineral structure and the grip that comes from extended skin contact. Salinity carries a long finish. Distinctive and thought-provoking, it is an innovative expression of Bical.