We're excited to share the newest vintage of a Spanish house favorite at Hi-Time! The 2022 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva combines the structure and savory complexity of traditional Rioja with the purity, polish and freshness of modern winemaking.
The critics have already taken notice:
Decanter: 95 Points
Wine Advocate: 94+ Points
Vinous: 94 Points
Marqués de Murrieta was founded in 1852 by Luciano de Murrieta, a pioneer who helped define what Rioja is today. After learning winemaking techniques in Bordeaux, Luciano made the first ever Rioja wine in 1852! His winemaking proved that Rioja wines were capable of long aging! More than 170 years later, the estate remains one of Rioja's great reference points!
The wine comes from Finca Ygay, the winery's 300-hectare estate in the southern part of Rioja Alta. Its vineyards surround the winery and rise from 1040 to 1590 feet above sea level on predominantly calcareous-clay soils. This single-estate model gives the team exceptional control over every stage of production, from the vineyard through maturation.
The 2022 is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 7% Mazuelo, 6% Graciano, and 2% Garnacha, all harvested by hand. After fermentation, the wine was matured for 25 months in 225-liter American oak barrels, giving it the savory spice and elegant structure associated with classic Rioja without overwhelming the fruit.
The warmer 2022 vintage brings additional intensity and structure while maintaining the balance for which Murrieta is known. Aromas of ripe red and black fruit, licorice, cedar and sandalwood lead into a rounded, flavorful palate with lively acidity and firm, finely integrated tannins. Subtle notes of chocolate, spice and polished oak unfold toward a long, persistent finish.
The 2022 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva already drinking beautifully, but its structure and balance promise an exciting future. Buy a bottle to enjoy now and a few more to watch evolve in the cellar.
DECANTER 95 POINTS- "The 2022 vintage of Murrieta’s Reserva continues on its path to elegance... American oak adds polish, effortlessly enveloping rose petal, damson and red cherries, and lending just the faintest hint of chocolate. It's fine, precise and, despite many years of development to come, it's immediately approachable. A wine evolving with the times and, quite rightly, one of the flagships of the region."
WINE ADVOCATE 94+ POINTS- "The flagship white-label Reserva-style red 2022 Marqués de Murrieta wants to showcase the personality of the estate through blending places and grapes. It was a gourmand year, with rounder and glossier wines and with more volume, hedonistic and full. The wine is surprisingly balanced and elegant and doesn't show any excesses; the higher percentages of Mazuelo and Graciano provided the extra freshness needed but also had to age for longer in wood, but the oak is perfectly integrated, and the wine is clean and focused."
VINOUS 94 POINTS- "The 2022 Marqués de Murrieta comes from a slightly solar vintage and was aged 25 months in oak. On the nose, intense fruit leads the way, with blackberry, plum and a hint of cassis framed by delicate oak tones of cedar and sandalwood. On the palate, it is dry and marked by lightly gripping tannins, pivoting between juiciness and freshness for the year. Relative to the excellent 2021, it feels more built, with greater aromatic intensity and a slightly firmer structure."
The critics have already taken notice:
Decanter: 95 Points
Wine Advocate: 94+ Points
Vinous: 94 Points
Marqués de Murrieta was founded in 1852 by Luciano de Murrieta, a pioneer who helped define what Rioja is today. After learning winemaking techniques in Bordeaux, Luciano made the first ever Rioja wine in 1852! His winemaking proved that Rioja wines were capable of long aging! More than 170 years later, the estate remains one of Rioja's great reference points!
The wine comes from Finca Ygay, the winery's 300-hectare estate in the southern part of Rioja Alta. Its vineyards surround the winery and rise from 1040 to 1590 feet above sea level on predominantly calcareous-clay soils. This single-estate model gives the team exceptional control over every stage of production, from the vineyard through maturation.
The 2022 is a blend of 85% Tempranillo, 7% Mazuelo, 6% Graciano, and 2% Garnacha, all harvested by hand. After fermentation, the wine was matured for 25 months in 225-liter American oak barrels, giving it the savory spice and elegant structure associated with classic Rioja without overwhelming the fruit.
The warmer 2022 vintage brings additional intensity and structure while maintaining the balance for which Murrieta is known. Aromas of ripe red and black fruit, licorice, cedar and sandalwood lead into a rounded, flavorful palate with lively acidity and firm, finely integrated tannins. Subtle notes of chocolate, spice and polished oak unfold toward a long, persistent finish.
The 2022 Marqués de Murrieta Reserva already drinking beautifully, but its structure and balance promise an exciting future. Buy a bottle to enjoy now and a few more to watch evolve in the cellar.
DECANTER 95 POINTS- "The 2022 vintage of Murrieta’s Reserva continues on its path to elegance... American oak adds polish, effortlessly enveloping rose petal, damson and red cherries, and lending just the faintest hint of chocolate. It's fine, precise and, despite many years of development to come, it's immediately approachable. A wine evolving with the times and, quite rightly, one of the flagships of the region."
WINE ADVOCATE 94+ POINTS- "The flagship white-label Reserva-style red 2022 Marqués de Murrieta wants to showcase the personality of the estate through blending places and grapes. It was a gourmand year, with rounder and glossier wines and with more volume, hedonistic and full. The wine is surprisingly balanced and elegant and doesn't show any excesses; the higher percentages of Mazuelo and Graciano provided the extra freshness needed but also had to age for longer in wood, but the oak is perfectly integrated, and the wine is clean and focused."
VINOUS 94 POINTS- "The 2022 Marqués de Murrieta comes from a slightly solar vintage and was aged 25 months in oak. On the nose, intense fruit leads the way, with blackberry, plum and a hint of cassis framed by delicate oak tones of cedar and sandalwood. On the palate, it is dry and marked by lightly gripping tannins, pivoting between juiciness and freshness for the year. Relative to the excellent 2021, it feels more built, with greater aromatic intensity and a slightly firmer structure."
