Pago de los Capellanes - Ribera del Duero Parcela 'El Nogal' 2020

Doroteo Rodero owned a vineyard in Pedrosa de Duero, a small village nestled deep in the heart of the Ribera del Duero region. He left it to his son Paco, who with his wife Conchita Villa slowly expanded it. They started selling grapes to the first Ribera del Duero wineries, before bottling their own wine; the winery, built around eight centuries-old walnut trees, was completed in 1996, the year of their first vintage. An extension was added several years later to accommodate the growing production – the vineyard expanded to 120 hectares through the purchase of another property in Fuentenebro. The construction, finished in 2010, includes a spectacular cellar with exposed concrete arches, ten meters underground. While decidedly bold and modern, it also respects and highlights the beauty of its environment, summing up the winery’s ethos.

Today, the couple’s daughter Estefanía Rodero Villa, manages the winery, producing a modern take on Ribera Tempranillo. The single parcel wines, such as El Picón (the first vintage was 2018), have a more classical, structured character.

The vineyards are divided into 44 parcels, whose fruit is processed separately during vinification. Each plot receives a personalized care that matches its unique features, in order to grow the best possible fruit. In the months leading up to the harvest, samples from each parcel are taken twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. They are analyzed to determine the degree of maturity of the berries. Harvest usually begins late September, when the grapes are at their finest. The average daytime temperature at that time of year is 25C (77F). At night, it falls to 5C (41F). This high diurnal temperature variation aids the maturation of the fruit, and heightens the alcohol content, color and tannins, while helping to maintain good acidity and freshness. Harvest is limited to 5.000 kg of grapes per hectare – well below the 7.000 kg allowed by the Regulatory Council of Ribera del Duero.

Origin of the name: during the 14th century, the inhabitants of Pedrosa de Duero donated small parcels of land to the local clergy, in appreciation for their religious duties. In 1855, what had become a sizable landholding was donated to the city council as part of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal. The locals still continued to call the area “Pago de los Capellanes” in honor of the chaplains.

100% Tempranillo. The vines grow on a chalky clay soil, and come from El Nogal, a six-hectare parcel in Pedrosa de Duero. This parcel is monitored very carefully, and the decision to harvest is made separately from all the estate’s other wines. After being brought to the winery, the grapes are subjected to a pre-fermentation cold maceration at 14ºC for 6 days, in order to achieve the greatest possible aromas. Later, the wine undergoes controlled alcoholic fermentation in a large French oak vat with indigenous yeasts, at 26ºC, for up to 28 days. At the end of the alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation begins, without the addition of bacteria. The temperature is held steady at 20 ºC for a period of 22 days. The wine is then aged for 18 months in new French oak barrels. It is bottled without fining or filtration. Intense aromas of flowers and fresh fruits, giving way to notes of vanilla, cocoa and leather. Hints of sandalwood, spices, tobacco and liquorice. The attack is elegant, followed by power and complexity. Ripe fruit and round tannins. This is a serious wine, with a long life ahead. 14% ABV.

“Leads with a dark and savory mix of mountain herbs, minerally smoke, iron and earth but quickly transitions to a pure beam of pureed black cherry and black raspberry fruit, with accents of licorice root, vanilla and dried mint. Muscular tannins lend a broad-shouldered feel to this red, which offers fine integration overall and length on the finish. Best from 2027 through 2040.” - 94 Points, Wine Spectator

“El Picón sells at a higher price, but I slightly prefer the current release of its stablemate, El Nogal. Ripe and plush, as the bodega's wines tend to be, but the 15.5% alcohol is well integrated here, framed by scented 50% new oak and supported by serious, concentrated damson, plum and blackberry fruit. 2027-35.” - 94 Points, Tim Atkin

"Deep aromas of ripe blackberries, cherries, fine toasted spices, hazelnuts, chocolate and a peppery twist. Compact yet pretty energetic, with a full body and powerful yet chalky tannins. Bold but caressing, with an intense, lengthy finish. Drinkable now, but better in two more years.” - 93 Points, James Suckling

Producer: Pago de los Capellanes

Country: Spain

Region: Castilla y León

Varietal: Tempranillo

Appellation: Ribera del Duero

Vintage: 2020

Size: 750ml