Miriade by Pago de Vallegarcía 2023
An exceptional estate in the Montes de Toledo highlands.
The vineyards of Pago de Vallegarcía – an estate that was designated as a Denominación de Origen in 2019 – are located near Cabañeros, in the Montes de Toledo highlands, and are now fully mature. The winery has brought out Miriade by Pago de Vallegarcía 2023 exclusively for Vinoselección, an attractive blend consisting chiefly of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that showcases the depth of flavours and concentration of fruit that have made Vallegarcía famous. It’s been aged for 12 months in French oak.
Consumption features
Serving temperature
General features
General Information
Miriade by Pago de Vallegarcía 2023 is a blend of chiefly Cabernet Sauvignon with the addition of Merlot and Petit Verdot. The grapes were grown on the marvellous Pago de Vallegarcía vineyard, which spans 50 hectares and lies at an altitude of 850 metres. Specifically, the grapes that went into making this exclusive red came from 12 plots where sustainable viticulture is practised and harvesting is performed by hand. It’s been aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.
In 1997 the entrepreneur Alfonso Cortina started up Pago de Vallegarcía on an estate he owned in the hilly Montes de Toledo area surrounding the Cabañeros National Park. His great friend Carlos Falcó, the Marquis of Griñón, encouraged him to plant international grape varieties more characteristic of a colder climate than that of the plateau of La Mancha. The winery began to take shape following the planting of the first 24 hectares, a task which Alfonso Cortina entrusted to Richard Smart, a prestigious Australian consultant on viticulture.
The firm produced its first vintage in 2001 and moved into new facilities in 2006. Today, Pago de Vallegarcía is hailed as one of the leading wineries in Castilla-La Mancha and one of the most important in Spain. It's based in a unique nature setting that boasts flora and fauna of great ecological value and is one of the best examples of Mediterranean woodland.
Its 50 hectares of vineyards lie at an altitude of 850 metres, where the grapes ripen slowly and attain good freshness. In 2019 Vallegarcía’s excellent vineyard was designated a protected D.O. – Denominación de Origen Protegida. (D.O.P.) – with six varieties of French origin: the white Viognier and the red Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. They were joined in 2018 by three Spanish varieties: Garnacha, Cariñena and Monastrell.
The firm’s wines are designed by winemaker Adolfo Hornos, with the invaluable collaboration of Eric Boissenot, a leading consultant on winemaking in the Médoc.
Miriade by Pago de Vallegarcía 2023 (V.T. Castilla) is marvellous with simple dishes, grilled vegetables, rice, pasta and pizza. It’s also very good with barbecued meats and delicate grilled fish.
The winery
Winery
Pago de Vallegarcía is the winery of businessman Alfonso Cortina de Alcocer, who in 1997 decided to venture into viticulture and produce wines in the style of the great wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. A flawless project that has resulted in spectacular wines. The philosophy of Pago de Vallegarcía is to produce very high-quality wines, using estate-grown grapes with a balanced composition, hand-harvested at their optimal ripeness, and suitable for barrel aging and bottle aging. The wines aim to respect the typicity of each variety and the expression of the terroir.
Alfonso Cortina's passion for the great wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy is evident in this project, which benefited from the expertise of Australian viticulture professor Richard Smart, who designed the vineyard plantation at the Vallegarcía estate, located in the Montes de Toledo, an idyllic setting in the Cabañeros National Park.
The winery's first vintage was produced at the facilities of Dehesa del Carrizal in 2001. The success achieved at that time and over the following four years (North American guru Robert Parker praised the quality of Vallegarcía's wines) motivated Alfonso Cortina to build his own winery, which was inaugurated in 2006.
Currently, it has 50 hectares of estate vineyards cultivated at an altitude of 850 meters. It grows six French-origin grape varieties: the white viognier and the red cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, petit verdot, and cabernet franc. Additionally, in 2018, three national varieties were added, all red: garnacha, cariñena, and monastrell. The wines are crafted under the guidance of winemaker Adolfo Hornos, who benefits from the valuable collaboration of Eric Boissenot, a leading consulting winemaker in the Médoc.
The uniqueness of Pago de Vallegarcía was recognized by the European Union in 2019 with the designation of Protected Designation of Origin: DOP Vallegarcía.