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Luciano Murrieta produced the first ever Rioja, exported
before anyone else in the region, and built a grand “château” on the
Ygay Estate, inspired by Bordeaux. The wines from this estate are aged
for substantially longer than the required legal period, meaning it
therefore sits at the very pinnacle of the region’s hierarchy. In fact,
when Tim Atkin ranked the producers of Rioja based “only on the quality
of the winery and its wines”, he placed Marqués de Murrieta in the very
top echelon as a First Growth.
The Marqués de Murrieta Reserva is made entirely from grapes
selected from plots in the original Ygay estate, spending two
years in oak, followed by at least 18 months resting in bottle before
release.
A
great classic, with a unique Rioja character... Reconciling power and
finesse... Benchmark for wines of style, high-end brands. Leaves a
vibrant memory.
- Decanter, 'The wines that made Rioja
famous' panel tasting results, Dec 2021
The 2017 is superb, with a fresh vibrancy that does indeed linger long
after you taste it. This is classic Rioja and great value, at under £20
per bottle, tax-paid..
2017 Marques
de Murrieta Reserva, Rioja
Bottles @ £166 per 12
Best
price in the market!
A great
classic, with a unique Rioja character, bursting with chewy red fruits,
counterpointed by minerality. Reconciling power and finesse, pleasure
and style. Warm and intense. Benchmark for wines of style, high-end
brands. Leaves a vibrant memory.
94 pt, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Decanter
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.
93pt, Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
Deep,
glistening ruby-red. Cherry, red currant, pipe tobacco and floral and
vanilla accents on the expressive nose. Juicy and energetic on the
palate, offering bitter cherry, red berry, spicecake and candied rose
flavors and a sweetening mocha flourish. Finishes very long and gently
chewy, with a repeating cherry note and fine-grained tannins adding
gentle grip. This is quite a successful wine given the challenges of
the vintage.
92pt, Josh Raynolds, vinous
Incredible
depth and intensity on the nose with chocolate, walnut, blackberry and
wet-earth aromas. Some iodine, too. All this follows through to a full
body with very silky tannins that give the wine depth and length. It’s
really framed beautifully. Reserved and tight at the finish. A terrific
wine for the cellar. Give this three to five years to open.
96pt, James Suckling
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