2018 Pago de Carraovejas Cuesta de las Liebres

The Cuesta de las Liebres is the top model of Pago de Carraovejas and is only produced in the exceptional years. The 2018 is the successor to the 2015. Located high in the Ribera del Duero with an almost manic focus on quality, great wines are made here. This winery is also the owner of Ossian, the famous winery from the Rueda with its Verdejo vineyards, some of which are 150+ years old. The wine is a 100% Tinto de Fino (Tempranillo) and is only produced in exceptional years. The Cuesta de las Liebres vineyard is located on a steep slope with a rich biodiversity. The vines, planted in a vertical vase, border the upper part of a pine forest in which different native species of flora and fauna coexist. The whitish colored lime salts are visible in the terroir of limestone marl. These elements, together with those of the unique mesoclimate, are distinctive features that allow the vineyard to convey a character full of energy and authenticity. A great place, where Tempranillo shows its purest expression. The balance is the basis of the fine, delicate and at the same time intense character of the wine. On the one hand, the scents of flowers integrated with a powerful fruit show the vibrancy of the environment. On the other hand, it emits freshness and a vibrancy and energy, characteristic of a location as unique and genuine as the terraces of the Carraovejas.

The grapes are harvested completely manually in small crates and after extensive monitoring during growth and after a first selection in the vineyard, the 2nd selection takes place. The grapes then go to a cold room and then to the final selection table. Everything at Carraovejas takes place by gravity, so there are no pumps that move the must and wine too aggressively and often with too much oxygen. The wine then goes for fermentation in small wooden barriques with native yeasts. This gets all the time. The malolactic fermentation takes place in the same barrels and then the Anejon goes by gravity one floor lower to the barrel cellar where it is allowed to mature in new French oak for 24 months in very fine-grained French oak barriques. The wine was bottled at the end of 2021 and then received another year of bottle aging. The Cuesta de las Liebres comes from a single-vineyard of only a few hectares.

VINTAGE 2018

After an extreme 2017, climate conditions in 2018 were favourable. From winter, the precipitation, in the form of snow and water, restored the balance that the vineyard needed. The wet spring, along with snowfall and cold, lasted until April. The accumulated water supply ensured perfect budding and enough natural water to get through the short but hot summer and ensured an optimal growth cycle and the weather during the harvest was also ideal. For this top model, several rounds are made along the vines in order to harvest the perfect fruit every time. The harvest took place between September 29 and October 12