Marqués de Murrieta 170th Anniversary Reserva Set (2012-2017)

Wine Advocate 92: The red blend 2013 Rioja Reserva is mostly Tempranillo with 9% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo and 3% Garnacha, a proportion that is very similar from year to year as they want this blend to show the typicity of the Ygay estate. They blend grapes from different vineyards, soils, expositions and altitudes in search of a traditional, fine and elegant red aged in American oak barrels with more modern characteristics like fruit, mid-palate and integration of the oak. The destemmed and lightly crushed grapes fermented separately in stainless steel vats and the wine matured in barrel for 18 months. This is a somehow unusual vintage of Murrieta Reserva from a challenging vintage, with aromas of beef blood, sweet spices and red cherries. The palate is vibrant with citrus acidity, flavors of acid berries and an elegant, long finish. Unusual, but I like it. 900,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in seven lots between July and September 2016.

James Suckling 93: Terrific aromas of currants, berries, cinnamon and perfume. Full body, ultra-fine tannins and a dense palate. Superb length and refinement. Compact. Super length. Superb quality considering the price. More delicate and refined than the 2010. Precise. Drink or hold.

Vinous 91: Vivid ruby. Expressive, oak-spiced aromas of cassis and cherry cola develop a coconut flourish with time in the glass. Appealingly sweet dark fruit and spicecake flavors put on weight as the wine stretches out. A smoky note appears on a long, smooth finish that features rounded tannis and lingering cherry and mocha qualities.

Wine Enthusiast 92: Murrieta's wines have been on a good run in recent years, as evidenced by this saturated, fleshy Reserva. The nose delivers berry and cherry aromas, with ample oak. The palate is a full-volume bonanza of berry flavors framed by briary spice and toasty oak. A naturally spicy, ripe finish confirms its excellence; drink 2018–2026.

Wine Advocate 92: The Viura grapes for the 2013 Capellanía were harvested on October 10th and 11th, lightly and slowly pressed, the juice let to settle, racked off the solids and put to ferment at a low temperature in stainless steel. The wine always matures in new French oak barrels for 15 months. This is still very young, and the oak is still a little present, and it might need some more bottle age to integrate it. At least that's what I saw in the 2012, which I tasted next to this, and it has had the advantage of one extra year in bottle. 2013 was a small vintage, they had to sort and do a strict selection. They usually produce between 20,000 and 40,000 bottles, and this time it was 21,281 bottles. It was bottled in March 2017.

Vinous 90: Deep brillant red. Oak-spiced cherry and raspberry scents are complemented by suggestions of musky earth, pipe tobacco and mocha. Bright and seamless in the mouth, offering juicy red fruit and floral pastille flavours that firm up slowly on the back half.

Wine Enthusiast 92: Baked plum and cherry aromas are spicy and classic for Rioja, while lively acidity lends spirit to the palate. Berry and currant flavors show a raisiny character on the back end and run steady through the finish. Drink through 2025.

Wine Advocate 93: The blend of the 2014 Rioja Reserva is very similar to the 2013, 84% Tempranillo with 9% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha. 2014 was a somewhat-challenging vintage, with warm and cold spells and some rain during the summer. The fermentation usually lasts eight days with pigéage and remontage, pressed and put to age in 225-liter American oak barrels for 19 months. This is still a little young and has had less time in bottle. It might need a little bit more time in bottle. The nose is subtle and very harmonious, with aromas of red cherries and some aromatic herbs. The palate is soft, it has a velvety texture with polished, round tannins, and there is a subtlety and harmony that is laudable. 900,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in seven lots between July and September 2017.

Vinous 92: (Aged for 19 months in new and used American oak barrels) Deep bright-hued ruby. Ripe cherry and red berries on the perfumed nose, hints of coconut, white pepper and rose oil adding complexity. Shows very good depth and energy on the palate, offering smoke-laced bitter cherry and cassis flavors that turn sweeter with aeration. Smooth tannins shape a long, penetrating finish that leaves a sexy hint of mocha behind.

Wine Advocate 93: The red blend 2015 Rioja Reserva is 80% Tempranillo with 12% Graciano, 6% Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha, a little more Graciano and Mazuelo, something logical in ripe and warm years like 2015. It's produced with grapes from a diversity of the 30 different plots within the estate, to represent the character of if. It fermented in stainless steel and matured in American oak barrels for 18 months. It's spicy and somewhat balsamic, with some dusty tannins. It's a ripe and powerful vintage that only suffers next to the 2016 I tasted next to it when there's a jump in precision and finesse. This is by far the largest volume produced at Murrieta, with almost one million bottles.

Decanter 92: The magical Murrieta Estate is located on the southern tip of the Rioja Alta sub-region, its manicured vines located close (but not too close) to the town of Logrono, itself on the pilgrims’ route to Compostela. The dynamic Count Cebrián has revitalised this famous name and his winemaker María Vargas is especially proud of the 2015 vintage; a spellbinding almost aubergine colour and aromatics of blackcurrant pastille, eucalyptus and forest floor; red fruit is a little more prevalent on the palate, cranberry and strawberry in particular. Pashmina texture and an authoritative finish complete the picture.

Wine Advocate 93-94: I also tasted an unbottled sample of the 2016 Rioja Reserva, which should be bottled in a couple of months, before the summer. What I tasted was the final blend, and it represents the year—2016 was a cooler year, and the wine also goes in that direction. 2016 saw a large crop, and the grapes for this cuvée were harvested at the end of September, going toward more finesse and subtleness, combined with the natural power. There was a change in the winery in 2016 that was finalized in 2018 with the new winery. The wine is textured and fine, and it's more elegant than the 2015 I tasted next to it. The detail and texture on the palate is different, and the quality of the tannins is completely different. This should be released in early 2020. There will be almost 1.1 million bottles of this, which is remarkable, as they have managed to increase quality and quantity.

Wine Advocate 93: The red 2017 Rioja Reserva is their flagship wine, of which they produce 900,000 bottles exclusively from grapes from their 300 hectares of estate vineyards. It's a blend of 83% Tempranillo, 9% Graciano, 6% Mazuelo (Cariñena) and 2% Garnacha and has the character of the vintage, ripe and warm but without excess. The varieties fermented separately, even different plots fermented separately, and they also aged in barrel on their own. The blend is done at the end, after 20 months in American oak barrels. 2017 was a challenging year that they still consider a better vintage than 2018, as they see more concentration and power. The wine is quite lactic and creamy, still showing very young. It does feel undeveloped and in need of some time in bottle. The wine has concentration and clout, and I always consider it an ultimate example of an updated classical Reserva from Rioja. 2017 was the earliest harvest (started and finished in September), a warm and dry year when the Ygay estate miraculously escaped the terrible frost that decimated most of Europe. The challenge for this wine was to contain the ripeness and power, and they have done it. This will be released in spring 2021, so it should be a lot more integrated by then. This is always a sure value. Volumes are lower this year.

James Suckling 95: Beautifully perfumed with dried flowers, walnuts and violets to the dark berries on the nose. Full-bodied, yet very tight and refined with creamy, chewy tannins that are polished and poised. A lively, finely crafted red. Nice to drink now, but shows excellent potential for the future.

Wine Enthusiast 92: Lightly baked and leathery berry aromas are subtle. This wine is racy and clipping on the palate, with popping acidity. Spiced plum and cherry flavors are backed by oaky vanilla prior to a persistent finish with classic Rioja notes of oak, tomato and bright acidity. Drink now–2030.