Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Reserva 2018

Marques de Murrieta has a long, meaningful history at the Bottle Shop. When we were first learning about wines, it was very important to our dad for us to know the best, most classic wines of every great winemaking region in the world. In Spain, Marques de Murrieta was at the top of his list. We had the opportunity to taste old wines from Murrieta from vintages such as 1968 and 1959 with him while we were still in the infancy of our wine training. The estate is very much a traditional estate in style. While rich and deep in flavor, the fruit is multi-layered but not 'New World jammy'. Red and black fruits, cedar, leather, hints of spices, even hints of tar are revealed in this red bottled from 100% estate fruit. We would pair this with Spanish-inspired cuisine, especially pork or lamb dishes. 

WINE ADVOCATE reports: 'This is one of the oldest wineries in Rioja, created back in the 19th century, and they keep their traditions, but now but each wine is selected from specific plots, something that they have done since the year 2000, a year that marked a big change in the winery. I feel more balance and better integration of the oak with the wine in recent vintages. I really liked the wines I tasted and was very excited to be shown a tank sample of the 1986 Castillo de Ygay Gran Reserva Blanco. Yes, you have read it correctly, it was a tank sample which is waiting to be bottled after almost 21 years in wood and 6 years in tank that will be released sometime in the future. I simply loved it.' 

'Marqués de Murrieta is one of the most classical names in Rioja, and they have managed to keep the classical style of the wines but are also completely relevant and up to date with what is happening in the world today. All of their wines come from their own vineyards, which sets them apart from the majority of classical wineries that didn't use to have any vineyards. So, it's a château style winery, a domaine, not a négoce and a small- to medium-size winery. All of the wines are numbered, and they produce a total of a little more than one million bottles. They keep faithful to the use of mostly American oak barrels for their wines, and the aim is for elegance and freshness.' Luis Gutierrez