Marqués de Murrieta Reserva is a traditional Rioja wine crafted in the classic Murrieta signature style and enjoying all the benefits of modern winemaking philosophy, equipment and techniques. Made from Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano, this wine embodies ripe fruit qualities with a perfect balance of acidity, supple roundness on the palate, and a hint of new oak. The Marqués de Murrieta vineyards on the 741-acre Ygay Estate are located in Rioja Alta between 320 meters to 485 meters above sea level.

The Cebrián-Sagarriga family, who in 1983 acquired the winery, established in 1852, has a distinct winemaking philosophy that is founded in the pursuit of quality and excellence through tradition and innovation.

Tangible proof of elegance, balance, and constancy characteristic of the winery and its surrounding vineyards situated in the Ygay Estate, this is a red Reserva wine with a balanced aging of 20 months in new and partly new American oak barrels and a year and a half in a bottle. The result is an elegant wine that combines complexity and fineness, summing up the best attributes of Marqués de Murrieta's identity and actuality.

Marqués de Murrieta is named after Luciano de Murrieta, one of the founding fathers of modern Rioja winemaking, who established the estate in 1852 in the world-renowned Rioja region of Spain. Luciano, appointed Marquis by the King Amadeo of Savoy thanks to his work in Rioja, travelled to Bordeaux to learn the winemaking techniques that he introduced later in Spain. He established the concept of “château” in the Ygay Estate where he built the emblematic Ygay Castle and was the first one to export his wines.

The Rioja region is located in Northern Spain on both banks of the Ebro River, providing exceptional natural conditions for the cultivation of vineyards. The winery is settled near the southern tip of Rioja Alta in the middle of the beautiful Ygay Estate, a unique 740-acre vineyard that guarantees complete control over the grape source of the wines and is the key to the quality and style of Marqués de Murrieta wines. Today V. Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, Count of Creixell, leads the family-owned company.

The winemaking is under the guidance of María Vargas. She is one of the highest-profile female winemakers in Rioja, and very much a part of Murrieta’s modern transformation. She joined the winery as assistant winemaker in 1995, and took over the top position in 2000. Vargas is a brilliant blender as well as a sensitive winemaker, adept at combining the different plots of Murrieta’s vineyards to make exceptional wines with character and distinction.

Grapes are first de-stemmed and then fermented in stainless steel tanks for eight days at controlled temperature in constant skin contact. During fermentation, pumping over and punching down operations are regularly carried out. These processes ensure both effective and gentle color and aroma extraction. Afterwards, the solid parts of the grapes are pressed in vertical presses with double screws.

“Rioja is a great choice for people who enjoy both structure and elegance.” ~James Suckling

Aging: 20 months in American Oak

Tasting Notes: 87% Tempranillo, 6% Graciano, 5% Mazuela, and 2% Garnacha. It displays a wide range of aromas well-defined ripe red fruit with hints of dried violets, red pepper, thyme, and graphite. On the palate, it's intense, tremendously expressive, and well-armed, with a great load of fruit and a long finish. “This 2017 vintage reflects the most vigorous from our Finca Ygay” ~María Vargas.