Today’s wine is really special and incredibly delicious. The 1985 Frei João Bairrada: Made from 100% of the indigenous Baga grape. Often described as the Nebbiolo of Portugal, Baga produces highly tannic, highly acidic red wines well-suited for aging. Only 785 cases of the ‘85 were produced.
What’s more, this wine was harvested when I was 9 months old. Grown in the famous clay soils of the Portuguese Atlantic coastal shelf, the cool vintage was very low in alcohol (only 11.8%...no more thanks to climate change). Still, at almost 36 years old this wine shows beautifully. In the glass you’ll find a translucent purple core to dramatic garnet rim. On the nose, notes of dried fig, baked prune, plum sauce, sweet tobacco, dried cherry, black licorice, Earl Grey tea, rose water, and vintage leather. Acid is still holding up and the tannins are soft and fully integrated. The drinking window is soon to pass so if you find a bottle, drink it now!
Enjoy in a Burgundy stem at cellar temperature with a classic Portuguese roasted suckling pig or braised rabbit in plum sauce. You could even sip this while listening to Queen play at LiveAid (which took place in ‘85 as well!
Comments