La Nieta 2023

La Nieta is one of the most prestigious wines of Rioja, Spain, made by the renowned Viñedos de Páganos winery (owned by the Eguren family, owners of Sierra Cantabria). It is a "pago" (single-vineyard) wine from a small 1.75-hectare plot planted with Tempranillo in 1975.

The Wine Advocate
RP 98

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The single-plot 2023 La Nieta Tempranillo comes from the 1.75-hectare vineyard that gives the wine its name. It was planted in 1975 on silt, clay and sandstone soils in Páganos (Laguardia), 525 metres above sea level, and is farmed biodynamically (though not certified). The hand-destemmed grapes fermented in small 2,500-litre oak vats with yeasts selected from their own vineyards and aged in new French oak barrels for 16 months.

It's surprising how well integrated the oak is, given the new barrels, but the wine has such intensity that it absorbs the oak and still comes across as perfumed, elegant and nuanced, open and expressive. It has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.7 and 5.88 grams of acidity, as well as extremely fine tannins.

This is often my favourite wine from the Eguren family, and this is a year of finesse and elegance. 5,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2025.

Viñedos de Páganos is a project of the Eguren family from San Vicente de la Sonsierra, with 45 hectares of vines planted between 1975 and 1985, from which they now produce 100,000 bottles.

Published: 12 March 2026