Pago de Carraovejas 2020

The 2020 Pago de Carraovejas was produced with a blend of 92% Tinto Fino (a.k.a. Tempranillo), 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot. 2020 was a good vintage for them. They harvested earlier (but the wine still has 15% alcohol), all in small boxes and 3,000-kilogram containers, and they are also using 600-liter oak barrels and oak vats for the élevage. It has an expressive nose of ripe berries, sweet spices and some toast and is lush and creamy, with a soft texture. It's powerful in the house style, but there's balance and harmony. They produced some 800,000 bottles.

Fresh on the nose, with notes of cherries and blueberries, as well as hints of citrus rind, dried herbs and flowers. Medium-bodied with chalky tannins, soft texture and crunchy blue-fruit character. Lingering finish with hints of blue flowers and minerals. Drink or hold.

Pago de Carraovejas' Cosecha bottling is produced from an 80/20 combination of its own and purchased fruit, featuring the villages of Gumiel de Mercado, Moradillo and Peñafiel. Ripe, sweet and modern, with plenty of glossy French and American oak, it's a full-flavoured cuvée of Tempranillo with a herbal twist from 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot and flavours of Christmas cake and cinnamon. 2024-30.