Winemaker Notes
A mild Spring saw very little frost during April and May. Rain occured during flowering but, fortunately, the weather was dry at veraison, when the grapes change colour. Dry conditions continued until the end of September, changing to persistent rain during the last week of the month and at harvest. The rain affected grapes on loose soil and young vines, but older vines planted on clay soil remained in prime condition. Fortunately in Rioja Alavesa where Marques de Riscal's vineyards are planted the soil is a mixture of clay and limestone, which attenuates the harsh effects of heavy rainfall.
The aroma of raisiny fruit with a touch of fresh liqueur is reminiscent of morello cherries. The wine exhibits an intense garnet red colour, dark in the centre of the glass. In the mouth, the fruit is well balanced by subtle acidity and tannins, with elegant notes of toasty oak on the smooth, mellow finish.
Hailed as the star red variety in Spain’s most celebrated wine region, Tempranillo from Rioja, or simply labeled, “Rioja,” produces elegant wines with complex notes of red and black fruit, crushed rock, leather, toast and tobacco, whose best examples are fully capable of decades of improvement in the cellar.
Rioja wines are typically a blend of fruit from its three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental, although specific sub-region (zonas), village (municipios) and vineyard (viñedo singular) wines can now be labeled. Rioja Alta and Alavesa, at the highest elevations, are considered to be the source of the brightest, most elegant fruit, while grapes from the warmer and drier, Rioja Oriental, produce wines with deep color, great body and richness.