2019 was a warm and dry year when the 2019 Pago Negralada, a single-vineyard Tempranillo from the lower part of the estate, a cooler place adequate for this short-cycle variety, showed good ripeness and a very good homogeneous vintage. The grapes fermented with their own isolated yeasts for 12 days, as extraction is quick, and the wine matured for 17 months in oak barrels, 66% of them new. The oak is neatly integrated, and the wine is medium to full-bodied and has a soft texture and the mellow mouthfeel from a warm and ripe vintage. 21,640 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2021.

Reminiscent of the 2016, the 2018 Pago Negralada has a mixture of red and black fruit, some spices and firm but fine-grained tannins that give it tension and a chalky sensation in the texture. It has 14.5% alcohol and good freshness and balance. It matured in one-third new oak. In general, the 2018s have less color than the corresponding 2019s, but it's more noticeable in this single-vineyard Tempranillo. It feels varietal and complex, with some development and notes of berries, spices and brick dust, serious, subtle and harmonious. The palate reveals the austerity of the vintage and the place, and it is medium to full-bodied, with fine tannins. It reminds me of the wines from the Duero from yesteryear. A vintage like the ones from the past? 21,269 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2020.

The pure Tempranillo 2017 Pago Negralada comes from a warm and dry year with plenty of ripeness, concentration and intensity. It has dark fruit aromas and spices and a full-bodied, sleek and creamy palate. 21,224 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2019.

Perhaps the finest vintage produced to date of their iconic Tempranillo is the 2016 Pago Negralada, which has a mixture of red and black fruit, some spices and firm but fine-grained tannins that give it tension and a chalky sensation in the texture. It's tasty and balanced, with good ripeness and freshness, medium to full-bodied, with stuffing and balance to develop nicely in bottle. I was surprised to see it has 15% alcohol, as it is very well disguised. 9,769 bottles, 611 magnums and 40 double magnums produced from 35 barrels. It was bottled in May 2018.

A textbook Tempranillo, the 2015 Pago Negralada has varietal aromas, red fruit, licorice and spices and a classical, velvety and elegant texture with focused and clean flavors, great harmony and a tasty, long finish. This is like an upgraded version of the Selección Especial. It's a good representation of the zone through its gentle tannins that kind of hide the natural power. It very faithfully represents the conditions of the year, the place and the variety. A true, honest Tempranillo. Bravo! There were 37 barriques of this, which filled 10,200 bottles and some large formats. Like all of the 2015s, it was bottled in May 2017.