Expert Reviews- Prior Vintages 2020, 2019
The Wine Advocate 94+ Points | The 2020 Rioja Reserva, their flagship wine, comes from the 300 hectares of estate vineyards. Here, Tempranillo is the backbone, making up 82% of the blend in the low-yielding vintage of 2019, complemented with 8% Graciano, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Garnacha. It has controlled ripeness at 14% alcohol, with a pH of 3.65 and 5.1 grams of acidity. I loved the aromatics here—floral and elegant, more in the style of the 2018 than the 2019. it's lighter, more elegant, fine-boned and has a silky texture and very fine tannins. Both 2019 and 2020 are very good, but 2020 is more my style. 980,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after 21 months in American oak barrels. (VIntage 2020).
James Suckling 94 Points | Harmonious, textbook Rioja that shows cedar, spiced strawberries, vanilla and plums. Really polished on the palate, with fresh acidity and a linear, lengthy finish. Very subtle extraction makes this a really balanced, harmonious Rioja that’s appealing now. But the balance will help it age well for the next few years. (Vintage 2020)
Luis Gutierrez writes: The 2019 Rioja Reserva, their flagship wine, comes from the 300 hectares of estate vineyards. Here, Tempranillo is the backbone, making up 87% of the wine in the low-yielding vintage of 2019 and complemented with 6% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha. This is the second vintage in the new winery. It’s a balsamic and spicy version—a wine with muscle that they aged for a longer time in barrel, and it's more traditional and serious. It's ripe at 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.65 and 5.3 grams of acidity. They seek balance between fruit and oak, looking for freshness. A more powerful year. Drinking 2023 to 2032. - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 93. (Vintage 2019).
James Suckling writes: A precise and polished red with cherry, plum, slate, iron, and powdered earth. It's medium- to full-bodied with sublime tannins that are beautifully integrated into the wine. It's structured, yet the tannins are very silky. It's curated and thoughtful. Two years in American oak (10% new) and 14 months in bottle. Sophisticated and very drinkable, but will age nicely. Drink or hold. - James Suckling 96
Joaquin Hidalgo writes: The 2019 Marqués de Murrieta is 93 Tempranillo, 5% Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha Tinta, sourced from Pago La Capellanía in the Ygay estate, Rioja Alta. Aged for 24 months in American oak barrels, this garnet wine offers notes of sour cherry, balsamic and dried flowers, along with a lactic-vanilla-cedar layer. On the palate, it is dry, mild and lean, with a juicy flow and fine-grained tannins that culminate in a long-lasting finish. The 2019 vintage represents a harmonious blend of traditional oak-vanilla influences and the emerging fruit-forward trend. Drinking 2024 to 2034. - Vinous 93
Alison Napjus writes: An elegant red, bright and silky on the palate, with vibrant acidity and supple tannins well-meshed with flavors of pureed mulberry, delicate dried thyme and anise, mandarin orange peel and a touch of fragrant smoke. Long and juicy on the finish. Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo and Garnacha. Drink now through 2034. - Wine Spectator 91
Florencia Gomez writes: Inviting aromas of ripe black cherry, raspberry and violets (whole bunch?). Tannins are ripe and velvety, and it’s not short of bright acidity. Long, perfumed and toasty, it will benefit from some time in the bottle. Drinking 2026 to 2036. - Jancis Robinson 16.5+
