2007 Artadi, Pagos Viejos, Rioja

The 2007 Pagos Viejos is sourced from Artadi’s three best and most elevated vineyard sites, all planted to Tempranillo over 75 years of age. The wine was aged for 18 months in new French oak. It sports a superb aromatic array of toasty new oak, pencil lead, violets, incense, black cherry, and blueberry. Elegant, ripe, and velvety on the palate, it has superb depth and concentration, savory flavors, a firm structure, and a 45-second finish. Give it 6-8 years of additional bottle age and drink it from 2016 to 2032. Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565

Pagos Viejos is no more, so it's fascinating to taste this wine which contains elements of today’s three single vineyard wines from different aspects, soils and slopes. Following ageing in new French oak, the wine still retains powerful aromas of spice and tobacco. The palate is deliciously savoury and plump, with dense black fruit and a note of liquorice. After 11 years it's only just beginning to come into itself.