Hoping to hear your thoughts about Baga. My curiosity was piqued after an interesting bottle of tonight- 2002 Quinta da Boavista Terras de Tavares from the Dao. I’ve only Baga wines a few times, but I recall them being dark fruited, full bodied, and earthy. But the wine tonight was not like that at all. In fact, it was a dead ringer aged Nebbiolo; super floral and red fruited with an undercurrent of earth, light bodied, high acid, persistent tannins. Tasted like a 30 year old Barolo to me.
Is this Nebbiolo-esque presentation typical of Baga? Or is the heavy full-bodied style more common? This particular bottle was a little past peak, but I imagine it might have been incredible 5 years ago. Any particular recommendations in this lighter floral vein?
Photos of tonight’s wine below, including the ludicrously short cork.
Can’t remember ever having a big, rich and dark-toned Baga. They might be quite dark-fruited, but often dry, relatively light in body and high in both acid and tannins.
If somebody asked me which variety is the Nebbiolo equivalent in Portugal, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to answer “Baga”.
Btw, does the bottle say somewhere that it is a Baga? To me, that looks like their regular Terras de Tavares, which is a blend of Jaen (Mencía) and Touriga Nacional. Nothing to do with Baga.
For me, whilst I don’t recall any Baga wines that might fool me into thinking it’s a nebbiolo in a blind tasting (and I’m easily fooled), I do think there’s a decent degree of commonality e.g. firm tannins, leaner rather than richer, typically firm acidity, savoury elements alongside the fruit.
Xinomavro in Greece also a good one to explore for similar reasons, and perhaps Mencia as well (though the ones I’ve drunk have been less tannic).
Fumin (Aosta) and Vespolina (Piemonte) also worth a look for similar reasons.
There are fancier versions of Baga (look for Reservas & Garrafeiras and just fancier producers and maybe explore Luis and Filipa Pato, father and daughter following subtly different paths), alongside plenty of modest yet very appetising wines (including wonderful cheap sparkling versions). None I’ve tasted have been anywhere approaching monolithic, which might be a challenge too far for this grape. Also an interesting blending partner, but it’s super on its own IMO.
I have only had Baga from Pato (both of them) and never found those wines heavy. Bassins often has them on the shelf and worth picking up a few to try.
Young Nebbiolo is so distinctive with its aromatics that it’s very hard to confuse any other variety with it. However, with age older baga starts to converge aromatically with an aged Nebbiolo. They don’t turn identical, but getting much more similar so that it is easier to confuse them with each other.
100% yes.
Never had a single Mencía that was stylistically close to Nebbiolo or Baga. If something, I’d say Bierzo Mencía is much closer to a Cru Beaujolais from a warmer vintage, in which the wine are richer and weightier. I find Galician Mencía more similar to a cooler-vintage Cru Beaujolais or maybe a red Jura.
Fumin is definitely very distinctive, but I find many wines made from the variety to feel more “French” than “Italian” - in a blind tasting I’d probably confuse them with a Northern Rhône Syrah in which the smoky and spicy tones are cranked up, than something similar to a Nebbiolo, Baga or Xinomavro.
I had a 2021 Baga from Niepoort on Friday that was very approachable and tasty, reminding me of a hypothetical blend of Gamay and Mencia from Ribeira Sacra.
Baga is grown in the Dao, but is unusal there. Most Baga is from Bairrada. Baga is very sensitive to viticulture. High cropped, it yields tannic, thin, relatively flavorless wines. Low cropped it can be bigger and generous, but depending on terroir and production can be very niebbiolo like. Poeirinho, for me, makes a burgundian style. The most niebbiolo like that I’ve had was from Quinta do Pellada in the Dao.
This. Based on this information alone I needed to check whether the wine is a Baga or not, because I thought that if a Dão producer made a 100% Baga, they’d be pretty upfront about it as it is somewhat uncommon there.
Had it been a Bairrada, it would’ve been given that the wine is a Baga - or at least a Baga-driven blend.
