Pago Florentino 2023

Pago Florentino comes from Bodegas y Viñedos La Solana, the La Mancha estate run by the Arzuaga Navarro family, and carries the single estate Vino de Pago designation for V.P. Pago Florentino. The Cencíbel, the local name for Tempranillo, is grown at Finca La Solana on a mountain slope of granite and clay stones with a high mineral content. La Mancha sits at altitude on the central plateau, where abundant sunshine ripens the fruit fully while cool nights hold the acidity, and the stony, free draining soil keeps yields low and concentration high. The wine ages twelve months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannins and adds spice and a fine grained structure without masking the fruit. The colour is deep crimson. The nose shows ripe cherry and blackberry with a graphite minerality drawn from the granite soil, backed by cedar and sweet spice from the oak. The palate is full bodied and firmly structured, the tannins ripe and dusty, the finish long and savoury. At 14.5 per cent it has the weight for hearty dishes. Serve at 17 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It suits roast lamb and aged Manchego.