2004 Rioja 150th Anniversary Gran Reserva

The 2004 150 Aniversario Gran Reserva is a special selection from the regular Gran Reserva from the very good 2004 vintage, as they also did in 2001 to celebrate the winery’s 150th anniversary. This 2004 is a big jump in quality from the regular 2005 Gran Reserva (and from the regular 2004 Gran Reserva too!) It follows the usual recipe of 90% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo raised in oak barrels for three years. It’s a powerful, young, great wine in the making, with aromas of black fruit, forest floor, morel mushrooms, truffles and black pepper. The palate reveals a tightly wound wine, with great concentration and length, a wine that will age slowly in bottle. A great modern-day Gran Reserva. Drink 2016-2025. Marques de Riscal purchased the vineyards (300 hectares) and the brand Marques de Arienzo from Pernod-Ricard just before the 2010 harvest (the rest of the vineyards and the winery were acquired by Bodegas Muriel). They have renamed the wine Arienzo de Marques de Riscal, which might be a little confusing for consumers. But the bigger news is that the improvements in viticulture in the last few years can be appreciated in the wines from the 2010 vintage, which I had the chance to preview in a visit to the winery just before joining The Wine Advocate. The style for Marques de Riscal has always been for powerful wines that were bottled and released much earlier than the rest of wines from Rioja following the Bordeaux model. Imported by Southern Wine & Spirits; www.southernwine.com