Marqués de Riscal Reserva Rioja DOCa

The Rioja region, home to the Marqués de Riscal Reserva, is one of the most climatically and geologically favored wine-growing areas in the world: In the north, the peaks of the Cantabrian Mountains protect the Ebro Valley from excessive humidity and cold, while in the south, the Sierra de la Demanda massif, rising to over 2,000 meters, shields it from the scorching heat and fierce storms of the Spanish plateau. Calcareous soils and minimal temperature fluctuations allow the vines to thrive. Marqués de Riscal is the most traditional of the famous Rioja estates. In 1860, after an extended stay in France, Don Camilo Hurtado de Amézaga, Marqués de Riscal, established a bodega in Elciego modeled on the great Bordeaux wineries and produced his Rioja wine in the same manner. He was the first in Rioja to bottle his own wine and won prestigious international awards within just a few years. Marqués de Riscal still produces exclusively Reserva-level wines in Rioja Alavesa, using only hand-picked grapes from their own vineyards. This particular wine underwent 26 months of aging in small American oak barrels and spent a further 22 months in the bottle before release. Nevertheless, the Marqués de Riscal Reserva presents itself as more delicately fruity and perhaps a touch more elegant than previous vintages. The oak tannins, previously used prominently to enhance aging potential, have been reduced, and the oak is now better integrated. This vintage impresses with a harmonious interplay of the wine's characteristically beautiful mature notes, spicy berry fruit, vibrant acidity, and the subtle vanilla tones and hints of tobacco and dark chocolate imparted by barrel aging. Weinwirtschaft 2021 Top 50, Rank 9