Baga: Bold, distinctive, and deeply rooted in Portugal’s winemaking heritage, Baga is the hidden gem of the Bairrada region. Known for its naturally high acidity and firm tannins, Baga produces wines of remarkable depth, elegance, and longevity—often compared to world-class Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir. In youth, its vibrant red and black fruit character shines with hints of spice and earth, while with age, it transforms into a beautifully complex wine, layered with notes of tobacco, dried flowers, and forest floor. Powerful yet refined, Baga is a grape that captures both tradition and terroir, offering wine lovers an authentic and unforgettable taste of Portugal.
2018 Sidónio De Sousa Bairrada Baga Colheita...$15.99
2018 Sidónio De Sousa Bairrada Baga Colheita...$15.99
Aged for 12 months in 100-year old Portuguese oak barrels,
GRAPE: 100% Baga
The wine’s aromatic constellation is excellent, wafting from the glass in a mix of dark berries, cassis, coffee bean, a touch of licorice, grilled venison, dark soil tones, cigar ash and a touch of new leather in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, black fruity and focused, with a fine core of fruit, good soil undertow and grip, still some firm tannins and a long, well balanced and complex, chewy finish. This is not as refined as the Reserva bottling, but it delivers plenty of personality and is a fine value. It will only continue to improve if given further bottle aging. 2025-2050.
Rated 90+/100 John Gilman, View from the Cellar
2018 Sidonio de Sousa Bairrada Baga Reserva Red...$25.99
The wine’s aromatic constellation is excellent, wafting from the glass in a mix of dark berries, cassis, coffee bean, a touch of licorice, grilled venison, dark soil tones, cigar ash and a touch of new leather in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, black fruity and focused, with a fine core of fruit, good soil undertow and grip, still some firm tannins and a long, well balanced and complex, chewy finish. This is not as refined as the Reserva bottling, but it delivers plenty of personality and is a fine value. It will only continue to improve if given further bottle aging. 2025-2050.
Rated 90+/100 John Gilman, View from the Cellar
2018 Sidonio de Sousa Bairrada Baga Reserva Red...$25.99
Aged in 100-year old Portuguese oak barrels,
GRAPE: 100% Baga
The 2018 Reserva Tinto comes in at 13.5 percent alcohol and delivers a bouquet of dark berries, cassis, espresso, grilled meats, dark soil tones, a whisper of sweet botanicals and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused, complex and shows off superb depth of fruit at the core, with fine soil signature and grip, ripe, well-integrated tannins and excellent length on the complex, well balanced and very classy finish. The 2018 version is not quite as polished at this stage of its development as the 2017 was a year ago and I would be inclined to still give the 2018 some bottle aging before having at it in earnest, but it is a truly superb bottle in the making. 2032-2065.
Rated 94/100 John Gilman, View from the Cellar
Rated 94/100 John Gilman, View from the Cellar
The Reserva Tinto bottling from Sidónio De Sousa is handled just like the Colheita for its fermentation, with partial destemming of the bunches and fermentation with native yeasts, followed by its first three months of élevage in a combination of cement vats and stainless steel tanks. However, after three months, the two bottlings’ paths diverge, as the Reserva Tinto is then racked into ancient (one hundred years of age!), four thousand liter foudres, made from Portuguese oak. The Reserva is given at least another year and a half of aging in foudres to soften up those Baga tannins and then bottled.
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