Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Pago del Cielo Celeste Verdejo Sur Lies 2023 – Rueda DO, Castilla y León, Spain 🇪🇸

Overview
Made from 100% Verdejo, this wine undergoes sur lies aging, allowing extended contact with the lees to build texture and complexity while preserving the variety’s vibrant freshness. The result is a beautifully balanced Verdejo that overdelivers with remarkable depth and value.

Aromas & Flavors
Lime zest, grapefruit, green apple, white peach, fennel, fresh herbs, and subtle citrus blossom are complemented by delicate lees-derived notes of fresh bread and almond.

Mouthfeel
Bright and energetic with lively acidity wrapped around a creamy, silky texture. The sur lies aging adds weight and complexity without introducing buttery richness, creating a beautifully focused and refreshing finish.

Food Pairings
Grilled shrimp, oysters, ceviche, seafood paella, roasted vegetables, goat cheese, sushi, or herb-roasted chicken.

Verdict
An expressive and remarkably well-crafted Verdejo that combines freshness with texture in a way few wines at this price point achieve. Elegant, refreshing, and immensely satisfying.

Did You Know?
“Sur lies” means the wine remains in contact with its spent yeast cells after fermentation. Gentle stirring of the lees (bâtonnage) can further enhance creaminess and complexity while preserving freshness, a technique often associated with top white Burgundies but increasingly embraced by premium Verdejo producers.

🍷 Personal Pick
This wine genuinely surprised me. It delivers far more complexity than expected, with the creamy lees texture beautifully balancing its vibrant acidity. For anyone who thinks Verdejo is simply another crisp white, this bottle proves just how compelling, and underrated Rueda can be. — 2 days ago

Brian Hearty

9.2

2016. We really liked the way the oak rounded out this wine when compared to the slightly more tart Barbera d’Asti from the same producer that was poured as part of my daughter’s pairing. Paired with the Tajarin dalla forma finished in a wheel of gran kinara cheese. — 5 years ago

Ben Bruce

9.3

Delicious! — 5 years ago

Jackie Po

9.3

Well balanced... good with spicy food!! — 6 years ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.0

2009 and 2010 are consistent in style and quality. Raspberry and dark red fruit skins. More Bordeaux than California in flavor, balance and finish. 09 has more persistent fruit while 10 has meatier and earthier nose and body. — 6 years ago

Guillermo Vargas

9.0

Muy bueno. Cuerpo medio, sabores equilibrados — 8 years ago

Daniel Diaz

10

2026 Cruise Wine — 3 months ago

Tam Chambers

9.1

05.01.25-Marimba Seafood - awesome flavors pairs great with seafood starters — a year ago

Ericka Alcantara

10

Del Mexico MC 2022 — 4 years ago

Aitor Egaña

8.9

Very fruity mainly cherry with hints of some caramel or vanilla on the nose, very fruity on the palate with a nice creamy, buttery finish. — 5 years ago

Randall Brater

9.1

Surprised at some of the lower ratings here. Clean, crisp, and well rounded. Plums and raisins on the nose. Wonderful balance of medium berry fruit with earthiness and hints of oak. Not a ton of depth, but a very enjoyable wine. Would be even better with food. 75 tempranillo/20 grenache/5 merlot — 6 years ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.2

Red delicious apple skins and red raspberry fruit. Ripe and ready. Earthy in the fruit forward component. Lovely. — 6 years ago

Kate Parkerson

9.1

Very smooth and pleasant Pinot — 7 years ago

David Peifer

9.4

This one cellar’d so very nicely. Lots of dark plum and cherry and oak and chocolate and delicious.  — 10 months ago

Daron Watson

9.5

perfume of violet, wild berry pastilles, damson plum, porcini, Mediterranean herbs & botanicals, graphite & tobacco ~ juicy red fruits, burnt orange slices, soft black licorice and a silty finish ~ linear and tight…for now 😉🍷 — 2 years ago

Tracy Byrnes

9.6

Outstanding! Elegant. Silky tannins, rose petal, forest spice. This one has my heart! ❤️ — 4 years ago

Chris MacLean

8.9

Solid for mixed appetizers. A touch oxidized but retains freshness. — 5 years ago

with Sarah

Martijn

8.9

Curious wine from Sicily. Sauvignon with noble rot.
Had to get used to it but once used very pleasant with tropical fruits and some umami notes. — 6 years ago

Kevin Mckinney

10

Smokey and full bodied but with a surprising fruity finish. Very unique I love it! — 7 years ago

Fernando Figueroa Sánchez

9.1

Increíble su fragancia discreta pero pertinaz, color rubiaceo muy sugerente y en cuanto al sabor, nada qué ver ni el.menor punto de comparación con los vinos californianos. Lo recomiendo tiene personalidad. — 7 years ago