The WineA blend of three Portugese white grapes ("3B" stands for three biancos) - Bica (43%), Maria Gomes (29%) and Cercial (28%) - the wine is a Brut Nature (AKA Brut Zero, Zero Dosage, and Non-Dosé) softened by its time on the lees, which adds a nice creaminess to a wine - in this case, sort of a lemon brioche experience.
The wine also shows a hint of smoke, which actually comes from the limestone soils (it sees no time in oak). The nose shows pear (typical of Bical) and fennel/licorice as well as thyme and honey as the wine warms and opens. Insane value in such a complex sparkler!
Note - this is the driest of dry sparkling wines, and should be considered a serious food wine. We discovered this wine at a local store and enjoyed it while preparing a weeknight dinner, then brought it to the table to enjoy with our chicken picatta. Other candidates include anything with lemon, seafood, fish, poultry and hard and high-acid cheeses (soft goat cheese is perfect).
The Winery
This wine was born of a collaboration between Filipa Pato and her husband, William Wouters. Their stated goal is to craft authentic wines without make-up, wines that express the nature of their vineyards.
They use indigenous grapes from vineyards with soils, microclimates and aspects that are ideal for their biodymanic practices. After harvest, the grapes are left to frolick with minimal human supervision, though strict monitoring of vital signals to be sure their grapes express themselves fully.
Filipa Pato - winegrower in Bairrada. A Chemical engineer who refined her Winemaking skills doing harvests in Bordeaux, France - Mendoza, Argentina and Margaret River, Australia before joining her father Luis Pato, 'the Baga rebel'.
William Wouters - chef/sommelier/restaurateur. William comes from a restaurateur family from Antwerp, Belgium. He is a sommelier champion, restaurateur and former head chef of the Belgian national Soccer team for the World cup in Brazil and the European cup in France.
