2009 Pagos Viejos

Things start heating up with the awesome 2009 Pagos Viejos, which is a blend of Juan Carlos's old plots of vine. It demands coaxing from the glass, the broody dark berry, licorice-tinged fruit remaining bashful under a cloak of French oak, but intimating something alluring ten years down the line. The palate is full-bodied with a silky smooth texture, the oak singing from the same hymn sheet as the precocious fruit that is underpinned by super-fine tannins. It offers weightless intensity. The Pagos Viejos has fine symmetry and poise towards the finish with a just a faint tang of Seville orange marmalade on the aftertaste. Everything is in place - just add time. Drink 2018-2030. Artadi was one of several imperative visits during my visit to Rioja, where I met respected winemaker Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. His wines need little introduction, having already garnered glowing reviews in this publication and elsewhere. But what I was interested in discovering was whether Rioja can really exploit the minutiae of its multifarious terroirs and offer genuine nuances in a similar fashion to Burgundy or the Mosel (to give but two examples of regions where place is everything). If there is one man who lives by that philosophy, it is Juan Carlos, who oversees a coveted range of modern style Rioja that receive a generous amount of new French oak. Let us commence with the entry-level Vinas de Gain red and white. The Viura is harvested separately from Juan Carlos's intermixed vineyard and is fermented in 500-liter French oak barrels and kept in stainless steel tanks on the lees with three of four lees-stirring. Importer: Folio Fine Wine Partners, www.foliowine.com in the US, and www.bbr.com in the UK.