Filipa Pato Nossa Calcário Bairrada Branco

Bairrada, Portugal

Bairrada's most acclaimed white wine — Filipa Pato's Bical from the limestone soils of the Calcário parcel, minimal intervention and natural fermentation. Lemon oil, white peach, chalk mineral, hazelnut, and the distinctive saline freshness that limestone imparts to Atlantic Portuguese whites. Develops magnificently over 5-8 years into something resembling Loire valley Chenin Blanc. The white wine that revealed Bairrada's dual potential.

Pairing intelligence

• aperitif: The Lisbon classic and the Atlantic Portuguese white — Bairrada Bical's chalk mineral and lemon oil character bridges the clams' oceanic brine; garlic mirrors the wine's complexity; coriander bridges the wine's herbal freshness
• main: Portugal's national dish and its Atlantic white — Bical's chalk mineral and lemon character bridges the salt cod's salinity; broa's corn sweetness contrasts the wine's mineral austerity; olive oil bridges the textural richness