Pago de Carraovejas

Pago de Carraovejas began as a dream in the 1970s for José María Ruiz, a Segovian restaurateur who competed in the First World Contest for Sommeliers and finished fifth. After opening the acclaimed Restaurante José María in Segovia in 1982, Ruiz led a group of wine-loving Segovians to found the winery in 1987, planting the first 9 hectares on the hillsides of Carraovejas in Peñafiel. Three factors drove the location choice: Peñafiel's historic centrality to Ribera del Duero, proximity to Segovia, and local memory of the Carraovejas slopes as the finest ripening sites in the valley. The first vintage in 1991 yielded barely 70,000 kilograms from the initial 25 hectares in production and quickly became one of the region's most sought-after reds. The wine was released to market in 1993 and immediately recognized as a regional benchmark. Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses, José María's son, assumed leadership in 2007 and has since broadened the business model to encompass wine tourism, sustainability research, and multi-regional expansion through the Alma Carraovejas group.

• Founded 1987 by José María Ruiz and a group of Segovian wine lovers; winery built on the hillsides of Carraovejas, 3 km from the town of Peñafiel in the Botijas valley
• Restaurante José María opened in Segovia in 1982; the winery was conceived to produce house wines worthy of the restaurant's standards
• First vintage 1991: barely 70,000 kilograms from the first 25 hectares in production; released to market 1993 and immediately recognized as a regional benchmark
• Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses (José María's son) assumed leadership in 2007, broadening the business model to encompass wine tourism, sustainability R&D, and multi-regional expansion through the Alma Carraovejas group

Pago de Carraovejas shaped Ribera del Duero's modern identity through two key innovations. First, it pioneered gravity-only grape transport in the region, transporting all fruit without pumps or hoses via purpose-built OVI and ORIS vessels. Second, it was among the first Ribera wineries to introduce French oak barrels (in a region where American oak was the established norm via Vega Sicilia and Tinto Pesquera), and alongside Vega Sicilia and Abadía Retuerta it validated Cabernet Sauvignon as a blending component in Tempranillo-dominant wines at a time when 100 percent Tinto Fino was the unchallenged regional variety. With approximately 50,000 cases produced annually (around 800,000 bottles), the estate demonstrated that quality and commercial scale are not mutually exclusive, earning Wine and Spirits Magazine Top 100 Winery recognition (2015) and consistent placement in the World's 50 Best Vineyards. Early use of estate-isolated indigenous yeasts and drip irrigation further established the estate as a technical reference point for the appellation.

• First Ribera del Duero producer to adopt gravity-only grape transport, now widely studied and adopted across the region
• Among the first Ribera wineries to use French oak barrels alongside the regional American oak tradition; also pioneered blending up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon into Tinto Fino-dominant wines
• Consistent 92 to 95-point scores across major critics (Wine Advocate, Jeb Dunnuck, Vinous) over multiple decades underscore the estate's quality benchmark status
• Named Top 100 Winery by Wine and Spirits Magazine (2015) and featured in the World's 50 Best Vineyards; production of 800,000 bottles annually proves quality and commercial volume coexist

The 160 productive hectares occupy south-facing slopes in the Botijas valley at an average of 850 metres, ranging from 760 to 900 metres altitude. The area is protected from northern winds by the Carraovejas ridge and exposed to afternoon sun, enabling full phenological ripening. Soils are tertiary in origin, mixing limestone marl, red clay, and sandstone with low granulometry and high water retention; white calcareous salts contribute distinctive minerality, particularly in the single-parcel El Anejón terraces. From 2008, the estate began planting the high plateau above 900 metres, with roughly 40 hectares now established there to capture freshness and acidity in warm vintages. Harvest is manual into 15 kg boxes, followed by a triple selection process: an initial selection in the vineyard, then a double sort at the winery by cluster and by individual berry. The triple selection has become a regional reference for hand-sorting discipline.

• Peñafiel, Botijas valley: 850 m average altitude (760-900 m range); south-facing slopes; protected from northern winds by the Carraovejas ridge and exposed to afternoon sun for full phenological ripening
• Soils: tertiary limestone marl, red clay, and sandstone; low nutrients promote concentration; white calcareous salts contribute mineral character particularly in El Anejón limestone amphitheater terraces
• High-plateau plantings begun 2008, now approximately 40 hectares above 900 m; provide freshness reserves for climate adaptation in warm years
• Triple selection at harvest: vineyard pass, then cluster sort, then individual berry sort at the winery; manual harvest in 15 kg boxes; gravity delivery to cellar

The defining cellar principle at Pago de Carraovejas is gravity: all fruit enters the winery via OVI tanks and 500 kg ORIS rolling containers, moving without pumps, pipes, or hoses at every stage through maceration, racking, and transfer to barrel. Fermentation uses indigenous yeasts and lactic bacteria isolated from the estate's own vines over many years. Vessels are selected per vintage and parcel, including stainless steel tanks, large oak vats, and concrete eggs. Oak aging lasts 12 months using a 50-50 combination of French Allier and American (Ohio and Missouri) oak with 33 percent new wood annually. The wine is clarified with natural egg whites before bottling. The landmark 2015 vintage saw the Crianza and Reserva categories unified into a single vintage-labeled Pago de Carraovejas, shifting the emphasis from regulatory aging minimums to terroir and vintage character. The two single-parcel wines (El Anejón and Cuesta de las Liebres) sit above the unified flagship as the estate's apex bottlings.

• Gravity-only transport via OVI tanks and 500 kg ORIS rolling vessels; no pumps, pipes, or hoses at any stage from harvest through barrel transfer; one of Spain's first fully gravitational wineries
• Indigenous yeasts and lactic bacteria isolated from estate vines used in fermentation; parcel-by-parcel vinification in stainless steel, large oak vats, or concrete eggs
• 50-50 French Allier and American (Ohio and Missouri) oak; 33% new wood annually; 12-month barrel aging; clarification with natural egg whites
• 2015 vintage: Crianza and Reserva categories merged into single vintage-labeled wine; flagship production approximately 800,000 bottles per vintage; two single-parcel wines (El Anejón, Cuesta de las Liebres) sit above the unified flagship

The estate produces three wines. The flagship Pago de Carraovejas (typically 93% Tinto Fino, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot) is released each vintage at around 800,000 bottles and around 38 euros in Spain, earning consistent scores of 92-95 points from Jeb Dunnuck, Vinous, Wine Advocate, and Wine Spectator across recent releases. El Anejón is produced only in exceptional vintages from amphitheater-shaped limestone terraces in the Carraovejas valley; it features all three estate varieties and retails around 95 euros in Spain. Cuesta de las Liebres is the estate's most powerful single-parcel wine, from steep slopes reaching 900 metres; first released in 1998 under the name Cum Laude, it retails around 170 euros in Spain. The winery does not currently release a Gran Reserva as a regular bottling. Ambivium, the Michelin-starred restaurant on the estate launched in 2017, holds one Michelin star and a Repsol Sol, and anchors the wine tourism experience. Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses has built the Alma Carraovejas group around the Ribera del Duero flagship, expanding to include Ossian (Segovia), Viña Meín and Emilio Rojo (Ribeiro), Milsetentayseis (Ribera del Duero), Marañones (Sierra de Gredos), and Aiurri (Rioja Alavesa).

• Flagship Pago de Carraovejas: approximately 800,000 bottles per vintage; 93% Tinto Fino, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot; around 38 euros Spain retail; 92 to 95 points across major critics
• El Anejón: exceptional vintages only; limestone amphitheater terrace parcels in the Carraovejas valley; all three estate varieties; around 95 euros Spain retail; approximately 145 USD average in the US market
• Cuesta de las Liebres: first released as Cum Laude in the 1998 vintage; steep slopes at 900 m; ripe and powerful style; around 170 euros Spain retail
• Ambivium restaurant on-estate launched 2017 by Pedro Ruiz Aragoneses; holds one Michelin star and a Repsol Sol; Alma Carraovejas group also includes Ossian (Segovia), Viña Meín and Emilio Rojo (Ribeiro), Milsetentayseis, Marañones (Sierra de Gredos), and Aiurri (Rioja Alavesa)