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Marqués de Riscal Gran Reserva 1900

Marqués de Riscal, Rioja, Spain

Marqués de Riscal
Rioja Spain
  • 98
    Points
  • The 577 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 9 Pros of
    9 recommend
    this wine
100 98
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    24

  • Producer ranking ?

    4

  • Decanting time

    45min

  • When to drink

    Now

  • Food Pairing

    Slow Cooked Short Ribs

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1900 Marques de Riscal (pre-phylloxera vines; original cork; 60% Tempranillo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Graciano; aged 50 months in oak). Medium-deep red with some brick tones, but still bright. Cherry aromas on the nose, exquisitely perfumed and sweet. Medium-bodied, utterly smooth and silky, still remarkably fresh, a touch faded but by no means lacking fruit. The balance is excellent, with no trace of dryness, and the long finish has lift ...

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The Story

Marqués de Riscal Reserva wines are basically made from grapes from tempranillo vines planted before de 70’s, grown in the best clay-limestone soils of the Rioja Alavesa. This variety withstands oak- and bottle ageing well thanks to its good balance of acidity and fine tannin. The Graciano and Mazuelo varieties, whose presence in the blend does not exceed 10%, provide crispness and a lively colour. Fermentation takes place at a controlled temp...

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

The 1900 Gran Reserva had lain unmoved in the estate’s cellar since it was first placed there. It comes from pre-phylloxera vines; though the vineyard was mostly replanted from 1898, these vines were located on an isolated, low-yielding, high slope that remained ungrafted until 1904. Since American oak was difficult and expensive to source at the time, it would have been matured in third-, fourth- or fifth-fill barrels for 50 months. This super-centenarian zooms around on silver rollerblades. It is imbued with a constantly evolving bouquet of sous-bois, rose petals and maraschino cherries. Meanwhile, the palate is surfeit with vivacity, boasting wondrous balance and symmetry. Oxidation? After at least an hour, it was still going strong. This is a jaw-dropping Rioja that refuses to acknowledge the passing of time and offers as much pleasure at the dawn of the 21st century as it did at the dawn of the 20th.

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  • 98p

It opened with a lovely sweet perfume – initially low key but round and vibrant. This luscious wine, made from grapes grown on pre-phylloxera vines since phylloxera arrived in Rioja only in 1898 and took six years to wipe out the vine population, already smelt like a 20 pointer! The palate was extremely rich and sweet too with strongly malty notes. Very dense palate with not a whiff of decay. Wonderfully complete. With amazing life to it considering its age. It was still quite a deep ruby with a broad, pale rim and the perfume just grew in the glass over a full hour. There were a few hints of coffee, a little bit of meat extract, but mainly richness and savoury concentration. At that time apparently more than a quarter of the vines were Cabernet Sauvignon (imported from Bordeaux by my fellow taster Luis Hurtado de Amézaga’s great great grandfather in the mid 19th century when he was a broker there). It is thought that this wine was kept in barrels for 50 months. This substantial yet subtle wine was still going strong even in the wake of the 1945 served subsequently.

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  • 100p
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Information

Origin

Elciego, Rioja

Other wines from this producer

Baron de Chirel Reserva

Marques de Riscal Blanco

Marques de Riscal Reserva

Marques de Riscal Rueda

Riscal 1860

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