This was an impulse buy to fill up on a mixed case and get a discount on what I was buying. I've always found Rioja to be one of the most reliable regions of old world wine, and I hadn't come across the "Pago" label before. Apparently it signifies that the wine has been made from grapes grown in what is considered to be the best area within a larger vineyard.
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Very intense dark purple colour. Clear and obvious scent of oak vanilla when the wine is swirled, which reveals further complexities of wood and black fruit jam on closer consideration.
Balance is good, with just enough acid and tannin to pass beyond the "soft" label and make you sit up and take notice. A range of flavours come through simultaneously and jostle for position on the palate: red apple, liquorice, blackcurrant, a little smoke and of course the inevitable oak. However nothing really stands out strongly and the finish is short, resulting in a slightly insipid experience after a promising start.
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At the £7 a bottle I paid, I'd judge it fairly priced.