2011 Pago de Carraovejas Crianza
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Tasting notes
(95% tempranillo and 5% cabernet sauvignon; aged in a combination of French and American oak): Bright purple. Highly perfumed aromas of blackberry, lavender, woodsmoke and mocha, with a spicy nuance adding lift. Sappy and seamless on the palate, offering juicy dark berry and floral pastille flavors that pick up energy with aeration. Closes broad, sweet and very long, with lingering smokiness and velvety, harmonious tannins.
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Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Josh Raynolds
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The 2011 Crianza is a blend of Tempranillo (93%), Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) and Merlot (2%) aged for one year in barrique. This is their flagship wine, a sure bet, showing great Ribera typicity with notes of small berries, restrained spices, smoke and a lactic touch, all in very good harmony. The palate is medium-bodied with polished, silky tannins, good acidity, and balance, with pungent flavors lifted by the alcohol (15% in a warm vintage like 2011) leading to a long finish. This is one of the most consistent crianzas from Ribera del Duero. An impressive 625,000 bottles and 18,000 magnums were produced from the 2011 vintage. Drink now-2019. The unpronounceable Pago de Carraovejas produces a full range of modern, well-crafted Riberas without excesses that have great commercial success in Spain, so they can ask prices that for the rest of the world are definitively on the high side. They produce 750,000 bottles per year, usually blending Tempranillo with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228 www.kysela.com and Alphapac A Marketing Company, Miami, FL