Pago Aylés Cuesta del Herrero Organic 2023 (Spain)

Description

Cherry, Chocolate, Spice

“Richly fruited and fragrant, the bouquet showcases dark fruit intensity, smoke meat, baking spice, and assorted nut aromas. The palate displays excellent weight and a plump mouthfeel, wonderfully framed by a fleshy texture and layers of fine tannins, leading to a harmonious, plush finish. At its best: now to 2033” Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

“Pago Aylés exemplifies the pinnacle of Spanish single-estate winemaking, delivering complex reds with silky structure and Mediterranean charm” Tim Atkin, Master of Wine

“Spices and red fruits, berries and plums, clove and vanilla, tobacco and dried herb, chocolate and smoky wood, earth and lots of style. A dry wine touches the palate with an abundance of chalky tannins, medium+ acid line, dried berries, date and baking spices, wood smoke and spice. Nice length and power with best drinking from day of purchase through 2030” Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

“Pago Aylés crafts exceptional Vino de Pago wines that showcase Aragón’s unique terroir with remarkable elegance and concentration” Decanter World Wine Awards

“Spicy nose of dark cherries, blackberries, olives and touches of smoked herbs and sweet spices. Rich and juicy, with a full body and nicely chewy tannins. Flavorful finish. A field blend of tempranillo, merlot, garnacha and cabernet sauvignon. From organically grown grapes” James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com

“Mouth-filling with dense, powerful flavours of black fruit, blackberry and plum, supported by black pepper and hints of leather before yielding to nutmeg spice and cedar on the long, almost brooding finish. In its currently closed state, it is a touch warming and plodding but there is ample tannin architecture here to see it through the awkward phase. Give it another year to come together and enjoy its over the near term as it evolves” Stephen Wong, Master of Wine, The Real Review

Tempranillo  50%,  Garnacha 30%,  Merlot 12% Cabernet Sauvignon 8%.

Pago Aylés holds the prestigious Vino de Pago designation, the highest classification in Spanish wine law. As the only Vino de Pago in the Aragón region (and one of just 27 wineries in the whole of Spain), it represents a singular estate with distinctive terroir, located approximately 30 km from Zaragoza at the foot of the Sistema Iberico Mountain range. Patria Chica, means literally the "small homeland." This wine project of the Ramón Reula family began its journey in the 1980s and ended with the reunification of various properties that once belonged to the so-called Finca Aylés dating back to the Middle Ages and first mentioned by Alfonso I in 1120.

Aylés’ has extreme weather conditions – during summer, there is a fluctuation of over 20ºC between day and night temperatures - which enables the wines to retain freshness and drinkability despite their innate power. The unique terroir is influenced by the Huerva river with plots of exceptional soils - pudding stones and clay with a high calcium component that brings energy to the wines. The estate is certified organic. 

Winemaking is precise: night harvest to preserve freshness, cold pre-fermentation maceration, co-fermentation of varieties with aligned maturation cycles (Tempranillo and Merlot first, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Garnacha), using indigenous yeasts under temperature control. Malolactic fermentation occurs in second- and third-use French oak barrels, followed by 8 months of maturation in French and American oak.

Food Pairing: It pairs excellently with grilled meats, robust stews, or aged cheeses.