Pago de Carraovejas - Ribera del Duero 'Cuesta de las Liebres' Grandes Anadas 2021

Pago de Carraovejas is one of the most sought after wines produced in Spain, but not near as well known in the US. The main reason is that most of it is snatched up by thirsty Spaniards before it has the chance to leave the country. Established by Segovian restauranteur and sommelier Jose Maria Ruiz, it has become one of the crown jewels of Ribera del Duero wines.

Pago de Carraovejas Cuesta de las Liebres is a wine made with Tinto Fino (aka Tempranillo) from the vineyard of La Cuesta de las Liebres located on a steeply sloping hillside on limestone marl soils with outcrops of gypsum and calcareous salts. An extreme viticulture wine that is only produced in exceptional vintages.

The harvest is by hand in small boxes, with an initial selection in the vineyard. Once in the cellar, it passes over the selection table and on to the cold room. All movements in the hold are made using gravity. Alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation are carried out in small wooden vats with native yeasts. It remains in extra fine grain French oak barrels for 24 months.

"From the vineyard of the same name, the 2021 Cuesta De Las Liebres is a knockout, from a hillside vineyard of terraced vines. Aged 24 months in French oak, the first year in new, the second in second-use, all fine-grained, and bottled in June 2024, the tannins are well-integrated and dusty, nearly chalky. It’s truly a beautiful expression of variety, vintage, and site, reaching perfection in its fine-tuned, full-bodied layers of rich cassis, oak spice, and even a touch of garrigue. There’s lovely acidity throughout that brightens the palate, with beguiling notes of violet that never fade away. It’s a seamless, polished, gorgeous wine that will be hard to resist, though aging will continue to see it melt into one over the next 15-18 years." - 100 Points, Jeb Dunnuck

Producer: Pago de Carraovejas

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y León

Varietal: Tempranillo

Appellation: Ribera del Duero

Vintage: 2021

Size: 750ml