Artadi Pagos Viejos, La Guardia, Spain 2001

Description

From the historic village of La Guardia in Rioja Alavesa, Pagos Viejos is a flagship cuvée of Bodegas Artadi. The wine is sourced from very old Tempranillo vines planted on limestone rich soils, delivering depth and structure with remarkable finesse.

The 2001 vintage in Rioja is considered one of the great modern years, combining ripeness, balance and longevity. Now fully mature, the wine shows a deep garnet color with brick at the rim. Aromas reveal dried black cherry, plum, tobacco, cedar and leather with hints of balsamic and earthy spice.

On the palate it is full bodied yet seamless, with resolved tannins and layered dark fruit framed by savory complexity. The finish is long and elegant, carrying notes of spice, dried herbs and mature Rioja character.

At peak maturity, it benefits from a gentle decant to remove sediment and pairs beautifully with roasted lamb, aged Manchego or slow braised meats.