To be classified as a “Reserva”, a wine must spend one year or more in oak, followed by two or more in bottle. Fruit for Marqués de Murrieta’s Reserva is hand-harvested from the Ygay Estate on the southernmost point of Rioja Alta, some 320 to 485 metres above sea level. Predominantly Tempranillo, with the remainder composed of Graciano, Garnacha, and Mazuelo (also known as Carignan). Hand-harvested fruit is de-stemmed and fermented in cool stainless steel, then pressed in a vertical press – a gentle means of extracting juice. The wine spends 16 months in new and neutral American oak barrels, then nearly a year and a half in bottle prior to release.

“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.” 95 points, James Suckling, October 2020

“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.” 93 points, Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate, October 2020

“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 raw acid. Drink now–2030.” 92 points, Michael Schanchner, Wine Enthusiast, September 2021