97 Points - Guia Penin. Pago de Carraovejas Cuesta de Las Liebres 2018 is one of the greatest wines of the Ribera del Duero. The 2018 scored 94 from Robert Parker, cementing its reputation as a wine to be compared with the likes of Vega Sicilia and Pingus. Made exclusively from Tinto Fino, the local name for Tempranillo, from a single high-altitude (850m above sea level) vineyard in only great years, since its release in 1991 it has become one of the most sought-after wines in all of Spain. Production is tiny as winemakers José María and Pedro Ruizs obsession with quality overrides all other considerations. From reducing the naturally low yields further to the use of new French oak and fresh egg whites for fining, no effort or expense is spared, something that comes through when you taste this wonderfully powerful, yet classical wine.

Vivino Rating: 4.7 (Sept 2024)

Wine Press Ratings

97 Points - Guia Penin

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast

"Deep-ruby to the eye, this wine has aromas of brambly wild berries, dark chocolate and fennel. It offers a nice sense of spiciness, with flavors of raspberry, black cherry, clove, anise and orange zest. Durable tannins are kept in check by vibrant acidity. Drink through 2042. Mike DeSimone"

Taste

The single-vineyard 2018 Cuesta de Las Liebres comes from a plot that was planted in 1992 behind the winery at some 850 meters in altitude, where the soils have more limestone, and the vines are head pruned. This has been made with 100% Tempranillo since 2014 (even though they have other varieties there), and they abandoned the 200% new oak regime for the élevage and now do 24 months in new barrels with lower toast, racked after 12 months. It has 15% alcohol and comes through as powerful and ripe. It's full-bodied and has fine tannins and less oaky notes than in the past, with balance and freshness combined with the power and concentration. This is a powerful and classical wine that is not produced every year and is designed for the long haul. 10,000 bottles produced.  94/100 Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate

About the Producer

Bodegas Pago de Carraovejas was founded in 1987 by José María Ruiz with a view to producing wine that was good enough to pair with his restaurants suckling pig. He chose a hillside site at Carraovejas, in Peñafiel in the then largely unknown Ribera del Duero.  The site was a real find.  With soils comprising of alternating layers of sandy silt and clay, with limestone, marl, and chalk, it was free-draining, mineral poor and at 850m above sea level, cool and able to offer the vines a long growing season.  They were the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon in the region and they now have plantings of Merlot too. In support of their belief in sustainable winemaking, vines are farmed organically and much of the vineyard work is done by hand. They now produce three wines: the Pago de Carraovejas, El Anejón and Cuesta de las Liebres. All are classics, but the Cuesta de Las Liebres is one of Ribera del Dueros superstar wines.