Pago de Carraovejas
Ribera Del Duero (Spain)

The Estate
The winery was founded in 1988 and is located in the town of Peñafiel. Pago de Carraovejas means “the place where the sheep walk by”, a loose translation. The ongoing pursuit of excellence best defines the career of José María Ruiz, Pago's founder and principal shareholder. Working his way through the restaurant trade (cook, waiter & sommelier) in his hometown of Segovia; José María, founded his own restaurant in 1982 and it soon became one of the city's top-rated venues. The winery was a logical extension of José María insistence on serving his restaurant clients the very best. Today he not only makes his own top quality house wine; but also raises heritage-breed pigs for his culinary specialty: Segovia-style roast suckling pìg. The commercial success of the Pago de Carraovejas wines has been spectacular since the first vintage (1991) hit the streets in 1993. In addition to the 100,000 bottles opened annually at the restaurant, the wines have become a must for quality restaurant wine lists in all of Spain. Every vintage is quickly sold out and allocations continue to be hard to come by.

Jose Maria Ruiz

Jose Maria Ruiz and Pedro

Tanks

The Vineyards
Pago de Carraovejas is a single vineyard wine. The Finca comprises of 140 hectares, all red grapes and planted 75% to Tempranillo and 25% to Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines are situated on the southern flank of Carraovejas ridge at 850 meters above sea level. The local micro-climate is harsh and dry: cold winters, hot summers and an annual rainfall less than 400 mm. The soils are low in nutrients with a mix of limestone, chalk and sand. Carefully metered drip irrigation controls vine stress, which along with the terrain, soils and micro-climate, produces grapes of optimum concentration and ripeness, vintage after vintage.

Winemaking
Production is at 50,000 cases and the winery uses a 50 - 50 combination of French (Allier) and American (Ohio and Missouri) oak of which 33% is new oak each year. They currently make Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva styles, no Tinto Joven here. Only 10% of their wine is exported. The maceration of the reds occurs in fat stainless steel tanks suspended off of a single plane of waffled stainless. Enologist Almudena Calvo oversees the winemaking, based on a philosophy that revolves around 4 essential points: 
          1) the Pago de Carraovejas hillside terrain as the only source of grapes, 
          2) keeping grapes as undamaged as possible as they go into the fermenters, 
          3) Large skin contact surface in the fermenters (unique fermentation vessels),
          4) 25% of the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The vineyards

Web sites:
www.rtejosemaria.com
www.pagodecarraovejas.com

The castle and vineyards

shelf talker

shelf talker

#S0EE240010TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00392 1
2009 Pago de Carraovejas, Crianza, Ribera Del Duero, 6/750ml
Made from 85% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot. 
Ideal weather conditions: rainy sprin and dry summer. Havest Sept. 29 - Oct. 22. Low yield and excellent concentration.
Aged for 12 months in French and American oak barrels, new and semi-new. Clarified with natural egg white.
Intense cherry color with purple tones. The nose is filled with ripe fruit aromas of black berries and spices. It is rich and fruity in the mouth with well integrated oak, notes of coffee and cacao and supple tannins. Full bodied, smooth and long finish.

#S0EE240001TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00392 1
2008 Pago de Carraovejas, Crianza, Ribera Del Duero, 6/750ml
Made from 85% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot. 
Ideal weather conditions: rainy sprin and dry summer. Havest Sept. 29 - Oct. 22. Low yield and excellent concentration.
Aged for 12 months in French and American oak barrels, new and semi-new. Clarified with natural egg white.
Intense cherry color with purple tones. The nose is filled with ripe fruit aromas of black berries and spices. It is rich and fruity in the mouth with well integrated oak, notes of coffee and cacao and supple tannins. Full bodied, smooth and long finish.

"The 2008 Crianza is made up of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot aged in a mix of new and used French and American oak. Cedar, Asian spices, violets, tapenade, and blackberry aromas inform the nose of this elegant, savory, nicely proportioned Crianza from a very good vintage. This tasty effort will evolve for 2-3 years and deliver prime drinking from 2013 to 2023." 
- Wine Advocate (June 2011), 90 pts


UPC code : 7 84585 00392 1
2006 Pago de Carraovejas, Crianza, Ribera Del Duero, 6/750ml
"Dark ruby. lovely ripe black cherry and plum aromas and toasted oak spice. Soft and velvety smooth on the attack, ripe and concentrated on the palate with a touch of spice. Beautifully balanced with round tannins and an impressive lingering palate."
- i-winereview (July 2010), 92 pts

"Pago de Carraovejas’ 2006 Crianza is a blend of 85% Tempranillo with the balance Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot aged for 12 months in a mix of new and used French and American oak. Purple-colored, it displays an expressive nose of smoke, Asian spices, leather, violets, black cherry, and blackberry. Dense, rich, and concentrated on the palate, it is packed with spicy black fruit, has several years of aging potential, and impeccable balance. Drink this lengthy effort from 2012 to 2021."
- Wine Advocate (April 2010), 92 pts

2005 Pago de Carraovejas, Crianza, Ribera Del Duero, 6/750ml
"Ruby-red. Sexy, oak-influenced red and dark berry aromas are brightened by Asian spices and smoky minerals. Silky, deeply concentrated raspberry and candied cherry on the palate, with a note of cocoa powder emerging with air. This really expands in the glass and betrays no rough edges. Impressively seamless, balanced wine, with gentle tannins, excellent finishing clarity and lingering spiciness."
- International Wine Review (July/Aug. 2008), 92 pts

"The 2005 Crianza was aged for 12 months in a mixture of new and seasoned French and American oak. Purple in color, it has an alluring bouquet of toasty oak, spice box, mineral, blackberry, and black raspberry. This leads to a layered wine packed with black fruits, coffee and chocolate. Nicely balanced and concealing ample silky tannin, this wine has several years of aging potential. Although it can be enjoyed now it will be at its best between 2012 and 2022."
- Wine Advocate (Issue 175, Feb 08), 92 pts

National Retail Price: $56.99 / bottle


#S0CC240004TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00884 1
2008 Pago de Carraovejas, Crianza, Ribera Del Duero, 1/1.5l

"The 2008 Crianza is made up of 85% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot aged in a mix of new and used French and American oak. Cedar, Asian spices, violets, tapenade, and blackberry aromas inform the nose of this elegant, savory, nicely proportioned Crianza from a very good vintage. This tasty effort will evolve for 2-3 years and deliver prime drinking from 2013 to 2023." 
- Wine Advocate (June 2011), 90 pts

National Retail Price: $152.99 / Magnum

shelf talker

shelf talker

#S0EE240003TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00885 8
2007 Pago de Carraovejas, Reserva, Ribera Del Duero, 6/750ml
Made from 90% Tempranillo and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
After an extremely hot summer, the harvest occurred between Sept. 22 - Oct. 16. Light and over ripe grapes selected in the vineyard, transported in boxes and taken to a sorted table, falling into the fermentation containers by gravity.
Aged for 12 months in new French oak barrels. Clarified with natural egg white and bottled in April 2005.
Cherry red color with purple tinges. Ripe fruit on the nose with well integrated oak. Flavorful, elegant, sweet tannins. Long and powerful.

"The 2007 Reserva is made up of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in new French oak for 24 months. Purple in color, it gives up an expressive nose of wood smoke, violets, espresso, mineral, and assorted black fruits. Full-bodied, dense, and savory on the palate, this medium-long effort will fill out for another 2-3 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2014 to 2022."
- Wine Advocate (June 2011), 91 pts

#S0EE240015TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00885 8
2004 Pago de Carraovejas, Reserva, Ribera Del Duero, 6/750ml
"Opaque ruby color with a lovely nose of licorice and black fruits. Reveals a soft, lush attack of spicy oak and blackberry flavors. This is a beautifully balanced, complex, and elegant wine showing ripe, rounded tannins on the lingering finish."
- International Wine Review (Jan. 2008), 93 pts

"The 2004 Reserva was aged for 12 months in new French oak. Inky purple, it has complex aromatics with a slightly roasted character, notes of mineral, violets, blackberry, and blueberry. Fat and succulent on the palate, it has intense flavors, good density, and enough hidden structure to carry this wine for a decade."
- Wine Advocate (Issue 175, Feb 08), 93 pts

National Retail Price: $90.99 / bottle




#S0CC240002TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00886 5
2007 Pago de Carraovejas, Reserva, Ribera Del Duero, 1/1.5L

#S0CC240018TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00886 5
2004 Pago de Carraovejas, Reserva, Ribera Del Duero, 1/1.5L

National Retail Price: $209.99 / bottle

#S0EE240011TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00122 4
2007 Pago de Carraovejas, Cuesta de las liebres, Vendimia Seleccionada 1/750ml
Made from 90% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Following the hottest and then moved to fermenting containers where gravity aids the fermentation process. Aged 24 months in new French oak barrels. Clarified with natural egg white. Intense red cherry color with purple hues. Ripe fruit aromas, vanilla notes. Suave and unctuous in the mouth. A strong and noble character.

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UPC code: 7 84585 00109 5
2005 Pago de Carraovejas, Cuesta de las liebres, Vendimia Seleccionada 1/750ml
Made from 90% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Following the hottest and then moved to fermenting containers where gravity aids the fermentation process. Aged 24 months in new French oak barrels. Clarified with natural egg white. Intense red cherry color with purple hues. Ripe fruit aromas, vanilla notes. Suave and unctuous in the mouth. A strong and noble character.

"The 2005 Cuesta de las Liebres Vendimia Seleccionada also spent 24 months in new French oak. It sports an outstanding aromatic array of pain grille, mineral, espresso, licorice, tapenade, spice box, and assorted black fruits. Structured and powerful on the palate (a principal characteristic of the 2005 vintage), it will benefit from an additional 4-5 years of cellaring and offer prime drinking from 2016 to 2025."
- Wine Advocate (June 2011), 94 pts


#S0EE240005TPM
UPC code: 7 84585 00109 5
2004 Pago de Carraovejas, Cuesta de las liebres, Vendimia Seleccionada 3/750ml
Made from 90% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Following the hottest and then moved to fermenting containers where gravity aids the fermentation process. Aged 24 months in new French oak barrels. Clarified with natural egg white. Intense red cherry color with purple hues. Ripe fruit aromas, vanilla notes. Suave and unctuous in the mouth. A strong and noble character.

2003 Pago de Carraovejas, Cuesta de las liebres, Vendimia Seleccionada 3/750ml
"The 2003 Cueta de las Liebres was aged for 24 months in new French oak. Perhaps due to the record heat of the vintage, the wine has a baked and rustic character although it certainly does not lack for power and intensity.."
- Wine Advocate (Issue 175, Feb 08), 90 pts

National Retail Price: $242.00 / bottle