Marqués De Murrieta Reserva - 2019

2019: A truly expressive nose with multiple layers of red fruit: strawberry, cherry and red plum, notes of black pepper, sandalwood, Mediterranean herbs, red tea and hints of gentle ageing. Silky tannins that frame a flavourful, fresh palate and lead to an elegant finish. An excellent vintage that has given us a generous, well-defined and hugely fruity Marqués de Murrieta 2019.

Wine Advocate 94: The flagship red 2018 Rioja Reserva was produced with a blend of 86% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano, 4% Mazuelo (a.k.a. Cariñena) and 2% Garnacha selected from their 300 hectares of vineyards that exemplifies the character of the vintage and the place. 2018 was a year with good rain and a cool season that resulted in a late harvest, which started on October 1 and was slow and delivered grapes with good freshness. Each variety and plot fermented separately in stainless steel. and the wines aged separately in American oak barrels for 21 months and then settled in concrete until bottling. It follows the path of the 2016, where I noticed a change that is taken further in this, controlling the power and increasing the freshness. It's very aromatic, a year completely different from the 2017; it has less structure and more freshness and subtler balance and enough oomph, concentration and power neatly compensated by freshness. I believe 2018 was a very good vintage to implement this change. It's perfumed, fresh, elegant and medium-bodied, with a velvety texture. Superb! 960,000 bottles produced.

James Suckling 94: Savory cured-meat, tobacco and grilled-spice notes to the bright plum, red-date, cherry and green-olive aromas. Quite a juicy, medium-bodied Rioja with fresh and extremely silky tannins caressing the zesty orange and crunchy red-berry flavors. Nuanced, fluid and effortlessly drinkable. Long and extremely elegant. A vintage that highlights layering and freshness, rather than power and depth. 86% tempranillo, 8% graciano, 4% mazuelo and 2% garnacha. Delicious now, but will hold well.

Wine Enthusiast 92: Deep violet-red in the glass, this wine has a nose of black currant, raspberry and cedar chest. Plush tannins coat the palate and provide a nice backdrop to black-cherry, purple-plum, mocha and anise flavors. A soft touch of peppermint tea permeates the smooth and long-lasting finish.

Wine Advocate 93: 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.

James Suckling 96: 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.

Vinous 93: 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.