Poço do Lobo, Bairrada Reserva
Bairrada, Portugal 1996 (750mL)
Regular price$55.00
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Poço do Lobo, Bairrada Reserva
When Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate recently tasted today’s 24-year-old reserva from Bairrada, they claimed “it’ll easily last another 15 to 20 years.” Just let that soak in for a moment: This authentic Portuguese stunner is nearly a quarter-century old and likely has another quarter to go. Now, factor in the miraculously low price and if that doesn’t blow your mind, then I must assume that a multi-generations-old, chameleonic, profoundly elegant red isn’t your thing. If, however, this has caught your attention, read on to discover one of wine’s most captivating stories.
Deep in the heart of Bairrada, Portugal, Caves São João has secretly preserved an extensive collection of bottles dating back to the 1950s, and the owners only began releasing them to the public in 2013. When their doors finally opened, it wasn’t to a red carpet and trumpeting horns; rather, several safeguards were implemented to ensure only small amounts would trickle out at a time. Today’s 1996 Poço do Lobo—a bucolic estate acquired by Caves São João in 1972—is one of those “new” releases that has been stowed away in their dark reserve cave since its recent and allocated debut. That’s over 20+ years of cool, undisturbed aging right at the source! So what to expect from this wine? Powered by Bairrada’s indigenous Baga grape—known as the “Nebbiolo of Portugal”—it is wildly perfumed and buttressed with a sturdy foundation of savory earth and grip. As we’ve said before, it’s hard not to feel spoiled by these ancient library releases: they’re rare, wonderfully affordable exemplars of mature red wine. Enjoy!
Deep in the heart of Bairrada, Portugal, Caves São João has secretly preserved an extensive collection of bottles dating back to the 1950s, and the owners only began releasing them to the public in 2013. When their doors finally opened, it wasn’t to a red carpet and trumpeting horns; rather, several safeguards were implemented to ensure only small amounts would trickle out at a time. Today’s 1996 Poço do Lobo—a bucolic estate acquired by Caves São João in 1972—is one of those “new” releases that has been stowed away in their dark reserve cave since its recent and allocated debut. That’s over 20+ years of cool, undisturbed aging right at the source! So what to expect from this wine? Powered by Bairrada’s indigenous Baga grape—known as the “Nebbiolo of Portugal”—it is wildly perfumed and buttressed with a sturdy foundation of savory earth and grip. As we’ve said before, it’s hard not to feel spoiled by these ancient library releases: they’re rare, wonderfully affordable exemplars of mature red wine. Enjoy!
Caves São João was originally founded as a traditional Port wine house in 1920, but when geographical boundaries were formed that defined where Port could be made, their production shifted to the polar opposite: sparkling wine. Over the years, they became a flagship producer for Portuguese sparkling and the generated revenue allowed them to branch out into still wines of various styles. As Caves São João built their brand, they started acquiring other small, tradition-minded estates—like today’s Quinta do Poço do Lobo. Over time, they amassed a whopping collection (hundreds of thousands of bottles) and stowed them away in their cavernous cellar. When Baga and other red Portuguese wines fell out of popularity toward the end of the century, Caves São João kept on cellaring, and, lo and behold, there is once again a growing movement for elegant, traditionally-crafted wines. As a result, they opened their cellar doors in 2013 to offer the world these back-vintage gems—they are the only Portuguese winery commercially selling library release wines of this age.
Baga is one of those unique varieties that has remained a well-guarded secret by those in the know. It is a signature red grape of the Bairrada DOC, an appellation in northern Portugal that reaches toward the Atlantic coast. Today’s 1995 Reserva comes from vines planted in 1980 that sit in the heart of Bairrada. Soil here is largely clay-limestone and, with the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, there is a significant maritime influence here. Grapes were harvested and fermented on their skins in open-top bins for several weeks before aging 24 months in concrete vessels. The final blend was 90% Baga, 5% Castelão, and 5% Moreto (of which they no longer have plantings). It was lightly filtered before bottling and then was sent to rest in their cellars in 1999, where it remained untouched for nearly two decades.
Bottle variation is inevitable when it comes to old wine, but your chances of snagging a beautiful bottle sharply increase when said bottle has perfect provenance—which Poço do Lobo's 1996 Reserva 100% does. Having tasted two bottles, the second was immensely better and we contributed that to the way we served it—a double decant. In this process you would carefully pour the wine into a decanter (leaving the sediment in the bottle); wash the bottle with clean water multiple times; then pour the wine back into its original bottle with a closed cork. There’s too much delicate perfume, fruit, and savory earth that can’t be risked losing! Secondly, we found the wine performed best within the first 60-90 minutes so while there’s no certainly rush to enjoy every sip, I would keep an eye on your bottle after the first hour passes.
Other than that, this is a gorgeous representation of decades-old Baga. It reveals a slightly hazy garnet core in the glass and throws out some of the most “old-school” aromas imaginable. With a Bordeaux-like nose, the elegance of Burgundy, and the structure of Piemontese Nebbiolo, there’s no possible way anyone could mistake this for anything other than a mature European red. It dazzles with dried currants, dried plum, black cherry, dried rose petals, mushroom, scrub, cedar box, vintage leather, and subtle exotic spices. The palate delivers a wine of finesse, astonishing lift, and firm grip which further confirms the Wine Advocate’s prediction that it’ll easily last another decade or two. This is such a cool experience! Tasting wines like these transports me back to my first job in the wine business, which was just a little ways northeast of Bairrada in Portugal’s Douro region; the attached recipe for feijoada is as authentic as it gets and will pair seamlessly with this earthy, evocative red. Cheers!
