PATRIA CHICA VINO de PAGO AYLÉS 2022

Another Steve Bennett MW import wine discovery that impresses. A blend of naturally co-fermented Tempranillo and Merlot and co-fermented Garnacha and a tiny amount of Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French oak casks. We love it as much as the reviewers do!

Winery Notes (2022 Vintage)
"Vino de Pago is produced in a very specific area of terroir, with specific characteristics of soil, climate and varieties that create unique and differentiated wines – these are awarded the top classification of Spanish wine, “Denomination de Pago.” Patria Chica, means literally the "small homeland." The label is a symbol of prosperity, the banknote, whose protagonist is the farmer toiling land, allowing its treasure to emerge.

To date only 20 wineries have been classified "Denomination de Pago." Pago Aylés was the 10th to achieve the classification in 2010 and is the first and only Pago in the Aragon region. 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.

Grapes are harvested in the cool of night just 10 minutes away from the winery. After cold pre-fermentation maceration Tempranillo and Merlot are co-fermented first, and afterwards, the fermentation of Garnacha and Cabernet Sauvignon also take place at the same time. After temperature-controlled fermentation with indigenous yeasts, malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak casks with 5 months maturation."

5 Stars & 94/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, October 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"This is seductive and inviting on the nose, showing dark berry, earthy mushroom, smoked game and roasted nut aromas, followed by a silky-smooth palate offering beautifully rounded mouthfeel together with silky texture and elegantly infused tannins. Delectable and highly enjoyable. A blend of Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet & Garnacha. At its best: now to 2032."

92+/100 Cameron Douglas MS, October 2024 (2022 Vintage)
"Great bouquet and palate with scents and flavours of brown spices and baked red berry fruits. Cinnamon and clove, dark plums and chocolate, blackberry and vanilla. There’s a seam of smoky wood, complexity from time in wood and a baseline of baked clay soil attributes. Dry, mealy chalky textures, core of fruit and spice layers deliver a wine with mouthfeel and intrigue. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2028+."