Vinos de Pagos

Can you see the difference on this label of a Spanish wine? Under the name of the property Dehesa del Carrizal is the DO designation, meaning that the DO applies to this single property. This is a new legal category of wines, called vinos de pagos, in which distinguished vineyards are given DO status. There are at present 10 such estates, 7 in the area of Castilla la Mancha and 3 in Navarra. Apart from a proven track record of consistent high quality, the wines have to be grown and vinified in a winery on the estate. This estate was first planted with 8 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon back in 1987. Other grapes were planted in the surrounding area, expanding the estate to 28 acres. It was granted DO de Pago status in 2006.
However, there is some controversy over this new category, as some great wine estates satisfying those requirements have not been elevated to this exalted status. Hugh Johnson (for example) argues that the likes of L'Ermita, Pingus, Calvario (Finca Allende) Vina de Olivio and various Torres properties highlight this anomaly.