Owned by one of Spain’s top sommeliers, new, super-premium winery group Alma Carraovejas was started with just one winery and one restaurant!

In 1973, having represented his home country, Spain, at the World Sommelier Awards, José Maria Ruiz decided that reaching the peak of his career meant that a change was in order. His first dream was to open his own restaurant, so set about creating the culinary institution that is Restaurante José Maria. He then went one step further in 1987, when José needed a wine elegant enough to pair with his eponymous restaurant’s organic suckling pig, that he had hitherto been unable to find on the market. Pago de Carraovejas was then born, and at the hands of Pingus winemaker, Patricia Benitiez, and with input from extraordinary talents such as Vega Sicilia’s Javier Ausas, it continues to set the standard of modern Ribera del Duero wines.

PAGO DE CARRAOVEJAS - Pag-oh deh Carrah-oh-veh-has

Pago de Carraovejas is my favourite Ribera del Duero producer, whose elevated vineyard sites (850m above sea level) and gentle cellar practices lead to distinctive wines of freshness and elegance, married to satisfying, velvety completeness.   I am thrilled that Spain's top Master of Wine, Pedro Ballesteros, has picked out Carraovejas as overall champion in his 2024 Report, a well-deserved accolade:

“My overall champion of the Ribera del Duero Report 2024 is Pago de Carraovejas. It is, in my opinion, one of the best brands in Ribera and elsewhere, equivalent to Bordeaux’s Grand Cru Classé wines. It offers great quality... [and] is sure to become a great ambassador for Spain at its best. For me, this label is surely a game-changer.”

Pedro Ballesteros MW

K1966122 | Ribera del Duero Pago de Carraovejas 2022 | £37.65 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price (75cl)

“Incredibly complex, and beautiful to drink immediately, this will also reward cellaring. It has a delectable aroma of sumptuous red fruit, liquorice, gingerbread and freshly-baked apricot flan, with the most delicate seasoning of toasted oak. Despite being a ripe and rich-textured wine, it gives the overall impression of beautiful balance and elegance. Superb.”

Tom King, Enotria&Coe Fine Wine Manager
 

OSSIAN

The cult white wine of Spain, Ossian was a project born in the town of Nieva, by eccentric Ismael Gozalo who identified that the vineyards of his birth town were uniquely distinct from those in the north of the territory to whom he shared the DO Rueda with. The fruit comes from vines of up to 200 years old - escapees of the Phylloxera pandemic that scourged the world's vineyards in the late 19^th Century. These ancient vines have never been grafted and have developed their own extensive root system deep into the sand and slate terroir that has protected them for centuries, and which contributes greatly to the notable balance and expressiveness of the wines.

Winemaking is Burgundian in style and the result is a rich, textured wine that will rival the great white burgundies of the world.

K2016121 | Ossian Organic Verdejo 2021 | £33.55 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price (75cl)

“Ossian's lovely, juicy-ripe pear fruitiness is strongly reminiscent of white Burgundy, while a green fennel herbal character sets it apart as something quite unique.  A finely-applied veneer of top-quality oak enhances the wine's distinctiveness, and concentration from 150+ year-old vines provides splendid persistence of flavours now, while promising further development in the bottle over several more years.”
Tom King, Enotria&Coe Fine Wine Manager

BODEGA MARAÑONES

Bodega Marañones hails from a region that I hold dear – Sierra de Grados.

A mountainous, almost lunar landscape located just west from Madrid, the area is home to forgotten parcels of old vines. Since the 2000s, it has attracted young, innovative wine makers, who have the energy and wherewithal to persevere in this challenging environment. The region has no recognised DO (Denominacion de Origen) of its own, this means people making wine here have a carte blanche; they have the freedom to shape the viticultural fabric of the region.

Celebrated for pioneering the modern Gredos style and helping to put the region on the map for premium wine production, Fernando Garcia was the first winemaker at the helm of Bodega Marañones. He has since gone on to found cult winery Comando G, but still consults on winemaking at the estate today, working together with Javier Blanco, who also makes the wines at Ossian. Carraovejas took over the Marañones estate back in 2021, fitting in with the project’s ethos and focus on championing uniqueness, bringing out the best from old vines, and pushing the boundaries of viticulture in places such as Sierra de Gredos.

Vineyards here are tiny, crammed in wherever there’s space between woodland, clefts in cliffs, and huge granite boulders that dominate the landscape. They are hard to access, and there’s only scope for limited assistance from horses when tending the vines, most of the work is done by hand. The soil is rocky, with very little nutrients, perfect for providing the challenging life vines need for premium wine making. Many of the vines planted are over 60 years old, so offer up only tiny yields of fruit. Many of the vineyards sit over 1,000 metres above sea level. Conditions are mountainous, weather unpredictable, often harsh. Made at altitudes which are a winemaker’s dream come true, the high altitude cools conditions, helping grapes retain acidity, and allowing them to ripen slowly.

These are seriously brilliant wines, which would make an excellent addition to any wine list. There’s not much left, as the wines have been exhausted at source awaiting the next vintage release, but it’s well worth trying them if you can.

L3966120 | Garnacha Bodega Marañones 2020 | £21.97 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price (75cl)

“Bright acidity brought about by slow ripening of fruit lends a backbone to the rich fruit profile. 12 months in old oak has helped round out the palate, tannins are fine grained and granular. The granite soils are thought to give the wines their distinctive textural quality. Silken mouthfeel and oodles of fruit on the palate give way to a slight earthiness on the long finish.”
Charlie Carter, Enotria&Coe Training Manager

MILSETENTAYSEIS

Another project saw Patricia Benitez (Pingus/Vega Sicilia) contracted, she wanted to exploit the warming climate and look to higher altitude parcels that previously were not thought of as being consistent enough to produce good wine, thus the project 1076 “Milsetentayseis” was born (it is 1076 metres above sea level). More freshness, acidity, it is a completely new style and definitely what the modern wine drinker s after. It has taken a few years to get right, but it is now absolutely stunning and also available in magnum.

K1996120 | Milsetentayseis 1076 Tinto 2020 | £50.70 per bottle ex VAT Duty Paid List Price (75cl)

“This wine hails from 100+ year old hand harvested Tempranillo and Albilla vines from Spain’s Ribera del Duero. The vines are situated between 960 and 1,100m above sea level – the highest in the region. The hot days give bold fruit flavours, the cold nights preserve acidity, then 18 months in a mixture of oak barrels, mostly large and old. The fruit sings through, pure, bright and unadulterated. The acidity zings through, bringing mineral poise that is resplendent on the long finish. Time in oak provides more of a subtle earthy backdrop that offsets the fruit profile beautifully. Albilla (a white grape) lifts the aromatics, providing a floral perfume. It also helps stabilise colour, which is key for maturation – and whilst this is a wine you could crack open now, it’s certainly going places if you’re patient enough!”
Charlie Carter, Enotria&Coe Training Manager

The other estates from Alma Carraovejas that we will discuss through the year include the Galician whites of both Emilio Rojo and Vina Mein. Please ask your account manager for more details on these wines.