PAGO FLORENTINO 2013, VINO DE PAGO
Available from La Lluna Gourmet, Moraira 15·00€
At Christmas time I think we are all prepared to pay out a little more when it comes to buying our wines. It’s a special time of the year, which warrants some special wines. However, we all have a budget! So, balancing both concepts I think this month’s Telitec Wine Recommendation will fit the bill perfectly!
The designation Vino de Pago is a relatively new one. Oficially, such wines are considered to be at the same quality level as Denominación de Origen (DO) wines. However, it is usually the case that Vino de Pago wines are often better! Individual bodegas who wish to be ‘upgraded’ to this level must prove that its vineyards are subject to a unique micro-climate as well as showing that they have a history of producing high quality wines, of singularity.
One would expect a wine made under the auspices of parent Bodegas Arzuaga, of DO Ribera del Duero fame, to be of top quality – and you’d be correct! Pago Florentino is made with 100% Cencibel (aka Tempranillo) and has been aged in oak barrels for 12 months.
Dark Cherry red in colour with aromas of soft red fruit and a touch of smoky vanilla oak, the wine is velvet smooth on the palate’s first hit, and as you swallow. There are some mineral notes from the stony soil in which the vines grow, as well as delicious red fruits combining with picota cherries that come to the fore as you hold the wine in the mouth.
It’s a layered, quite complex rich and elegant wine that will suit those who like some depth to their wine, whilst also being a great partner for your Christmas Dinner/Lunch.
Enjoy!
Colin Harkness
International & National Wine Judge,
Writer, Broadcaster & Critic
Twitter @colinonwine
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