Maria Duck Pét Nat

João Pato — known as Duckman — is the son of legendary Bairrada producer Luís Pato. Under the Duckman label, João takes a radically low-intervention approach to the indigenous grapes of Portugal’s Atlantic coast. Maria Duck is made from 100% Fernão Pires (locally called Maria Gomes), hand-harvested in mid-August from 20-year-old vines in sandy soils at Amoreira da Gândara. The grapes undergo five days of skin maceration in stainless steel before spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts — bottled before fermentation finishes to capture natural carbonation in the méthode ancestrale style. Cloudy, hazy, and wildly aromatic: orchard fruit, citrus peel, orange marmalade, and wild herbs, with a lively mousse and a dry, mineral finish. Unfined, unfiltered, undisgorged.