Marques de Riscal house spotlight
The official Marques de Riscal channel presents Frank Gehry Selection at the City of Wine in Elciego. This magnum is the house's 2016 Gran Reserva from the same bodega.
1.5L 2016 Marques de Riscal Gran Reserva Rioja DOCa, Spain
Marques de Riscal's old-vine Gran Reserva in magnum, cherry and lavender with 96-point polish, a 2016 you can open at one hundred dollars.
This 1.5 liter 2016 Gran Reserva is Tempranillo from vines over 80 years: black cherry, balsamic spice, cedar, and lavender after 26 months in French oak, now $100.
Gran Reserva in magnum, from the house that built the City of Wine
Riscal sets Gran Reserva fruit aside from vines over 80 years, estate and long-standing growers, then 26 months in French oak and at least three years in bottle. The 2016 magnum is that wine at 1.5 liters. James Suckling 96: black mushrooms, sweet cherries, plums, cedar, intense lavender. Wine Enthusiast 95: mint, clove, cherry, black currant, dark chocolate, orange blossom. One cork, a feast.
The house
Marques de Riscal has bottled in Elciego since 1860. The Gehry City of Wine opened in 2006 and still sits on the bodega.
The wine
Old-vine Tempranillo with supporting grapes. 26 months French oak, then years in bottle. 15% ABV.
The vintage
2016: a long cycle, late autumn cool, healthy fruit, vibrant color. Suckling wants it better after 2025. It is already impressive.
The drinker
Black cherry and lavender first. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Roast lamb or Rioja-braised short ribs.
Cherry, lavender, cedar, then a long close
The house writes intense black-cherry colour, balsamic aromatic intensity, lightly toasted oak, then a smooth full palate with concentrated tannin. Suckling found black mushrooms, sweet cherries, plums, cedar, and lavender on chewy polished tannin. Wine Spectator 91: black plum, violet, cured tobacco, red licorice, tarry mineral.
A long vegetative cycle and a cool late autumn. The magnum slows the clock on a Gran Reserva that already had years in bottle before release.
Black cherry, plum, balsamic spice, cedar, lavender, mint, clove, Earl Grey.
Full, 15% ABV, vigorous then polished tannin, 26 months French oak.
Long, savory, persistent. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Old vines, French oak, then the patience Gran Reserva requires
On the Riscal sheet, Gran Reserva fruit comes from vines over 80 years. After the vintage coupage, the wine spends 26 months in French oak casks, then at least three years in bottle. Magnum format is the same architecture in a bottle that pours a table and ages more slowly. Air, time, and a second glass that is better than the first.
The house blend on trade sheets is Tempranillo-led with supporting grapes. Serve 16 to 18 C. A Bordeaux stem.
Ham, mature cheese, roast lamb, and a stew that is not too spiced are the house pairings.
Titanium over a 19th-century bodega
Riscal asked Gehry for a building that would fly. Gran Reserva is the liquid half of that bet, older than the hotel.
The bodega dates to 1860 in Elciego. In 1895 Riscal was the first non-French wine to win the diploma of honour at the Bordeaux Exhibition.
The hotel's titanium ribbons pick up wine-red, gold mesh, and silver capsule. Gran Reserva still wears the gold wire.
This allocation is the 2016 magnum. Typical retail $150. One hundred dollars. One cork, a full table.
Roast lamb, then a slow braise
Aged Rioja wants rosemary, garlic, collagen, and a pan that has seen wine. Lamb and short ribs do that work.
Two plates. One garlic-rosemary lamb chop. One Rioja-braised short rib.
Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Serve 60 to 64 F. Give the first pour time. The house is right about the second glass.
Garlic Rosemary Lamb Chops
Herb, char, and lamb fat. The plate Riscal still points this wine toward.
Why it works: Rosemary and garlic echo mint and cedar while lamb softens the remaining tannin.
View Recipe for garlic rosemary lamb chops (opens in a new tab)
Rioja-Braised Short Ribs
Slow beef, onion, and wine. Ten-year Tempranillo has a savory landing.
Why it works: Collagen and reduction meet black cherry and licorice. Acidity keeps the braise lifted.
View Recipe for red wine braised short ribs (opens in a new tab)Put the Riscal magnum in the cart
James Suckling 96. Old-vine Gran Reserva, 1.5 liters. One hundred dollars against a $150 typical retail.
Put it in the cart. This is the magnum for lamb, a feast, and a cellar that still wants to drink it.
