Pago de Carraovejas Wines

This is the new standard of top flight Ribera del Duero, located on the fabled Golden Mile , where the very finest estates are found It is incredibly complex, and while beautiful to drink immediately, it will also reward cellaring It has a delectable aroma of sumptuous red fruit, liquorice, gingerbread and freshly-baked apricot flan, with the most delicate seasoning of toasted oak Despite being a ripe and rich-textured wine, it gives the overall impression of beautiful balance and elegance Superb Pago de Carraovejas is a Spanish institution originally conceived in 1987 when the country's top sommelier, Jose Maria Ruiz, needed a wine elegant enough to pair with his suckling pig that he was hitherto unable to find on the market Ever since, the wine has sold out on allocation At the hands of Pingus winemaker, Patricia Benitiez, and with input from incredible winemakers such as Vega Sicilia's Javier Ausas, it truly is the new standard of modern Ribera del Duero wines With some of the highest vineyards in the region at 850m elevation, the clay-rich limestone soils bring beautiful refinement and perfect ripeness to the Tinto Fino, Cabernet and Merlot grapes

This has really fine, delicate, spiced aromas, with beautifully-integrated oak notes adorning a wealth of intense yet subtle fruit character It's incredibly supple and silky, with mouthfilling, super-soft tannins Utterly wonderful, with truffley, foresty complex nuances emerging with time in the glass Rare in Ribera del Duero, El Anejon is a steeply-sloping site - so much so that it had to be terraced in order to be planted with vines, which are around 80% Tinto Fino with the remainder Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon It is one of the region's higher sites, at 870m elevation

This is like drinking liquid silk Seamless and refined, with no holes or gaps, it has a lot of power, weight and concentration, yet carries these effortlessly It could last for many years, but it's so delicious now that it would take a lot of willpower to cellar it Pago de Carraovejas is challenging Vega Sicilia and Pingus for top spot in Ribera del Duero, and from tasting this wine, it's easy to see why Utterly sensational

Its is a bold wine with defined character that is designed to evolve over time Its freshness and intense mouthfeel are representative of a modern style, moving away from excess, in search of the elegance, smoothness and balance found in the great wines of the world