Pago de la Jaraba Sauvignon Blanc

"Our most challenge wine…. A fresh and intense white wine - low alcohol - from a warm region" —
Pedro del Toro, winemaker
Appellation
La Jaraba D.O.P.
Grape(s)
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Altitude/Soil
700+ meters / sand and pebbles, over limestone subsoil
Farming Methods
Traditional methods / Sustainable agriculture
Harvest
Hand harvested into small boxes, as grapes ripen, plot by plot
Production
Whole cluster pressed then fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling
Aging
Aged for a few months on fine lees prior to bottling
Suggested Retail Price
$24
Wine Name
Scores
Downloads
Reviews
Pago de la Jaraba Sauvignon Blanc 2017
90 (WRO)
Score Publication Review Copy
90 Wine Review Online So, let’s be entirely candid about this: If you were to offer me a Sauvignon Blanc from a warm, sunny climate, and I were not dying of thirst, I would decline your offer. Unless, that is, the wine comes to me as a press sample from Aurelio Cabestrero, the supremely knowledgeable mind behind Grapes of Spain, an importing company to keep up on your wine radar at all times. Well, this wine turns out to be an undeniable success, however surprising that may be to me. It is medium-bodied and shows the weight and breadth one would expect from La Mancha, but not the ripe, melon-y fruit profile nor the alcoholic thump that I had expected. Rather, there’s a clear an herbal and citrus signature to go with a hint of melon character on both the nose and palate, and the wine stays light on its feet through the finish. I handed a glass (without any background info) to my food-savvy wife, who declared, “I like it…and I’d really like it with risotto with lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh spring peas and a little lemon zest.” I include this suggestion without editorial comment, aside from the one caveat that I’m not willing to wait until spring before enjoying this wine again.
Michael Franz - November 2018
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Pago de la Jaraba Sauvignon Blanc 2018
90 (VM) 88 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
90 Vinous Media Brilliant straw. Pungent pear, citrus pith and melon scents are accompanied by subtle floral and herb notes. Fresh orchard and pit fruit flavors show good definition and turn weightier on the back half. Delivers bright cut and grip on the finish, which features lingering floral and honey notes. 2021- 2024Brilliant straw. Pungent pear, citrus pith and melon scents are accompanied by subtle floral and herb notes. Fresh orchard and pit fruit flavors show good definition and turn weightier on the back half. Delivers bright cut and grip on the finish, which features lingering floral and honey notes. 2021- 2024
Josh Raynolds - February 2021
88 View from the Cellar The 2018 Sauvignon Blanc from Pago De La Jaraba is an impressively cool customer, coming in at twelve percent octane and offering up a bright, youthful and vibrant nose of lime, tart apricot, fresh-cut grass, lovely soil tones, gentle smokiness and just a whisper of upper register botanicals. On the palate the wine is medium-full, crisp and gently grassy, with a lovely core, fine cut and grip and a long, complex and tasty finish. This is a lovely, low octane example of the varietal. 2020-2023.
Issue # 85 - January/February 2020
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Pago de la Jaraba Sauvignon Blanc 2019
91 (WRO) 88 (WB)
Score Publication Review Copy
91 Wine Review Online This is seriously delicious and impressive Sauvignon from a rather unlikely seeming locale, namely, La Mancha…which is famously warm and sunny. I loved the 2017 edition of this wine, and this one may be even better, so this is no fluke. It is also a little less unlikely on further reflection, as the wine is supremely refreshing, and what could be a more important virtue than that during summer in La Mancha? It is just barely medium-bodied, which makes it very versatile for sipping or partnering with foods at the table, with lots of zesty acidity but also enough substance to work with lots of different dishes. The fruit profile is poised right on the balance point between melon and citrus notes on the Sauvignon spectrum, perhaps tilting just a few degrees in the citrus direction. The substantial flavors and zesty acidity both hold their own in beautiful balance through the finish, which is a sure sign of very wise picking decisions and really solid work in the cellar.
Michael Franz - July 2020
88 Washington Wine Blog This 100% Sauvignon Blanc wine shows straightforward lemon rind and kiwi tones that combine with a good sense of freshness. Drink 2020-2023.
Dr. Owen J. Bargreen, CS - July 2020
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Pago de la Jaraba Sauvignon Blanc 2020
89 (VM) 88 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
89 Vinous Media Bright straw. Meyer lemon, nectarine, succulent herbs and a gingery nuance on the nose. Silky and energetic in the mouth, offering juicy citrus and pit fruit flavors that show good depth and back-end cut. The herbal quality returns on a tight finish that's sharpened by a late jolt of spiciness. 2021-2024.
Josh Raynolds – July 6, 2021 Central Spain Additions
88 View from the Cellar The 2020 Pago de La Jaraba Blanco is composed entirely of Sauvignon Blanc, which hails from a stony vineyard planted at seven hundred meters, with a subsoil of limestone. The wine is fermented and raised in stainless steel tanks and offers up a bright bouquet of gooseberry, lime peel, chalky soil tones, a touch of fresh-cut grass and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is vibrant, medium-full and bouncy, with good acids and grip, nice mineral undertow and a long, fairly complex finish. This is quite tasty! 2021-2023.
John Gilman - Issue #91 / February 2021
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Pago de la Jaraba Sauvignon Blanc 2021
92 (WRO) 87 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
92 Wine Review Online Under Spanish wine law, this is a Vino de Pago, the country’s most exalted designation, reserved for wines from distinctive and exceptional sites within broader appellations. In this case, La Mancha is the broader region, and Sauvignon Blanc is a rather unlikely variety from a sun-soaked area. Be that as it may, the wine is convincing every year, showing excellent Sauvignon character, displaying citrus and stone fruit more than tropical characters, and with a pleasantly herbal bouquet that shows the fruit was picked carefully with a view to freshness in the finished product. Although the brightness of the fruit and its excellent acidity ring true to the variety, with no wood intruding at all, this still seems medium-bodied and substantial on the palate, like high-end California renditions that ring up for significantly more money. The reds from this estate are all excellent at their price points, with only the top red bearing the “Pago” designation (the others are labeled as “Viña de la Jaraba”). Amazing value at this address, which is one to remember.
Michael Franz – February 22, 2022
87 View from the Cellar The 2021 Pago de La Jaraba Blanco is made from Sauvignon Blanc, hailing from a stony vineyard planted at seven hundred meters, with a subsoil of limestone. The wine is fermented and raised in stainless steel and the 2021 vintage comes in at a svelte twelve percent octane. The wine is very pleasantly grassy on the nose, wafting from the glass in a bright blend of gooseberry, lime peel, chalky soil tones and plenty of cut grass. On the palate the wine is bright, fullish and nicely balanced, with a good base of soil, sound acids and a long, grassy finish. This is not bad at all and a good value, but one has to be enamored of the grassy side of this grape. 2022-2025.
John Gilman – March/April 2022
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Pago de la Jaraba Sauvignon Blanc 2022
90 (OB) 88 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
90 OwenBargreen.com Made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes, this offers a soft texture on the palate, with copious minerals that play well with lemon rind, green melon and shades of cashew nut flavors. Enjoy in its fresh youth. Drink 2023-2028-
Owen Bargreen - October, 2023
88 View from the Cellar The 2022 Pago de La Jaraba” Sauvignon Blanc comes in at a sleek twelve percent alcohol in this vintage. The wine’s aromatic constellation is bright and complex, hopping from the glass in a mix of lime, fresh-cut grass, orange peel and a lovely base of stony soil tones. On the palate the wine is vibrant, medium-full and wide open in personality, with a good core of fruit, fine soil undertow, good framing acids and a long, well balanced and complex finish. A lovely example and an excellent value! 2023-2027.
John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023.
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Pago de la Jaraba Sauvignon Blanc 2023
89 (VfC)
Score Publication Review Copy
89 View from the Cellar The 2023 Pago de La Jaraba” Sauvignon Blanc is once again nicely low in octane, tipping the scales at a very civilized twelve percent alcohol. The wine’s bouquet is properly grassy, as well as bright and complex, delivering notes of gooseberry, fresh lime, a touch of mint, stony soil tones, white flowers and freshly-cut grass. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and complex, with a good core of fruit, just enough framing acids to keep it light on its feet, good balance and a long, nicely bouncy finish. This will want drinking it its relative youth, but it is a very good bottle and a great value! 2024-2025.
John Gilman, Issue 109, January – February 2024
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