Marques de Murrieta and the Question of Tradition
Two weeks ago today, I moderated a Rioja tasting in the meatpacking district of New York, leading some of the city’s top wine practitioners in the press and restaurant industry through a series of Riojas blancos, rosados and tintos from a broad range of styles.Largely the brainchild of Pia Mara Finkell of CRT/tanaka, the agency that administers the Vibrant Rioja campaign and at whose NYC offices the tasting took place, the panel tasting provided a unique, relaxed venue in which tasters of disparate backgrounds and palate preferences could have a free-form discussion about the wines being tasted, about the state of Rioja wine in general, and, occasionally, about the complex interplay today among winemakers, wine critics, and the consumers who keep the whole game in play.
Our point of departure was Rioja’s 2001 Gran Reservas. Gran Reserva is the age category at the summit of the Rioja’s age classification system, and 2001 has been widely regarded as one of the best to have been experienced in Rioja in many years. According to one of our panelists, Gerry Dawes, Paco Hurtado of Bodegas Marques de Riscal said that the fruit from the 2001 vintage was the best he’s ever seen.
But what made the biggest impression on me was how enthusiastically one of our whites, the Capellania from Marques de Murrieta, was received by our panel. I have written about this wine before: a new wine from a classic bodega undergoing major changes which nevertheless harkens back to a former time, when whites exhibiting the beguiling aromatic traits that can come only from controlled oxidation were the norm in Rioja. Six months ago, only one wine shop carried this wine; two weeks ago, I picked one up from Union Square Wine.
I guess what attracts me most to this wine, and to the sentiments with which it was received, is that hodgepodge of new and old. Just when you are tempted to disparage the fact that Marques de Murrieta, the oldest winery in Rioja, is cutting the oak time that its flagship Castillo Ygay sees, the current owner, the Conde de Creixell, and his ace winemaker, Ana Vargas, come up with the Capellania.
A study in contrast and a wrench in the black and white argument that rages among wine influentials these days. More thoughts to come.
July 8th, 2008 at 7:33 am
It beguiles me how Spain is still known as the country of notable reds and mediocre whites, with the exception of a few godellos and vinho verdes. Having been a country of white varietals before the great plague of phylloxera, I can only hope that eventually, producers and consumers alike will the enormous potential spain has to produce really exceptional white wines, the Capellania is just one such example.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Hi Adrian et al,
what an oddity! two spanish talkin’ in english ;))
Anyway, how do you see this Capellania compared with the old Castillo de Ygay Blanco?
Regards,
Jose
July 14th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Gabriella,
Thanks for your comments. You and I share the same hope, and the same belief in Spain’s potential to produce truly exceptional white wines. I think it’s only a matter of time. Maybe I am being too optimistic, but I do believe that ultimately product differentiation (as opposed to flavor homogenization on a global scale) will prevail….
Jose,
I think the Capellania rates quite favorably against the Castillo Ygay blanco; maybe because it’s from a single plot the Capellania is a bit more concentrated, but I couldn’t say for sure unless I tasted them side by side (maybe the Conde de Creixell could be persuaded to invite us to his Logrono estate to see for ourseleves?). My tasting notes of a 2000 Marques de Murrieta Ygay Blanco Reserva at La Chatilla de San Agustin on Calle Laurel describe it as having “a very old world flavor and an incredible nose.” Kinda lazy, those notes. Will have to be more descriptive next time.
Adrian
July 14th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
IMHO and despite I find Capellania an enjoyable wine, I think it’s quite round at a first stage vs. Marques de Murrieta Blanco. A sort of a lack of character that makes me wonder how it’d evolve in the next few years. I do really admit that I enjoyed it, but in a easyquaff-way. I drank a bottle of ‘99 Marques de Murrieta Blanco weeks ago and well… I think the old one is (still) on a differente league compared with Capellania… Anyway, I don’t know how will it evolve…
Regards,
Jose