Marques de Murrieta "Capellania" Reserva Blanco 2019
(Rioja, Spain) - [JS 96] [WA 95] [VM 94] [WS 93]

About the Winery: 
The story of the Marqués de Murrieta winery is inextricably intertwined with the history of Rioja wine. The winery's founder, the Marqués de Murrieta, imported production techniques into Spain from Bordeaux. In 1852 he produced his first wine in Logroño, moving into the Ygay Estate in the late 1870s. Located at the heart of La Rioja, the estate is home to Ygay Castle, headquarters of the Marqués de Murrieta wineries. The castle is surrounded by 300 hectares of vineyards. 

About the wine:
The viura, the white variety with which it is made, comes from Pago Capellanía, with only 6 hectares and located in the highest area of Finca Ygay. Thanks to the altitude, the high quality of its calcareous soils and the low yields of the vines over 70 years old, the variety reaches its maximum potential.

Manual harvest, selection table, fermentation at low temperatures... each step that is taken in the production of Capellanía is aimed at achieving the greatest expression of the variety. Its balanced passage through new French oak barrels for more than 12 months gives it precision and makes Capellanía an incredibly gastronomic wine. 

Winemaking:
Grapes are de-stemmed and after passing through the sorting table, they are carefully crushed. After a short skin contact they are gently pressed in a vertical press to favor the extraction of all the aromatic potential. The juice was then settled and fermented for 35 days in a 9,400-litre concrete vat at 10°C.

Tasting Notes:
A really expressive nose with a strong character; white fruit, fine pastry, fennel, laurel and cedar aromas are harmoniously assembled. With nerve and well-structured in the palate; refined and lingering, great depth and lasting finish. It shows excellent potential.

“The use of concrete in the fermentation process has taken Capellanía to a new dimension; longer, more complex and polished”, María Vargas, technical Director.

Food Pairing:
Caramelised eel with buttercream, acid apple and foie layers. Steamed and roasted red bream, its collagen, red shrimp royal and roasted leek. Grilled-roasted scallop with egg flower, smoked potato and white truffle. Triple cooked Poularde de Bresse roll with chestnuts and Kumquat tangerine.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Grape variety: 100% Viura.

Alcohol content: 14% vol.

Bottling date: July 6, 2022.

Serving recommendations: We recommend serving at 13⁰C (55˚F)

Ratings & Reviews

96 Points - James Suckling:

Steely and floral nose of white nuts like macadamias, meringue, star fruit and a touch of green pineapple. Round and full-bodied but surprisingly bright and lively, with vibrant acidity providing the backbone. Really long and pure, while there is also suppleness and fleshiness. From the five-hectare Capellania vineyard, where most of the vines are over 100 years old. One of the best viuras out there. Lovely now, but you should seriously consider aging this.

95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:

2019 saw an early start of the harvest, with low yields and small grapes with concentration but balance. The 2019 Capellanía, an update on the long-aging whites from yesteryear, was produced with grapes picked on the 10th and 11th of September. The must fermented in concrete and matured in French oak barrels for 23 months, followed by another 13 months in concrete. It did not go through malolactic. They increased the time in concrete after aging in barrel, which seems to have worked very well; the wine is subtler, more elegant and balanced. It's direct, precise, fresh and elegant, with a vibrant palate and certain lightness. It has energy and light. 30,378 bottles and 1,204 magnums produced. It was bottled in May 2023.

94 Points - Vinous:

The 2019 Marqués de Murrieta Capellanía is 100% Viura aged for 23 months in barrel and 13 months in tank. Aromas of stewed apple, pear, citrus blossom and herbs dominate, with oak sitting gently in the background. Creamy and textured with chalky grip and moderate volume, this is expressive now and poised to gain further complexity with time in bottle. Viura’s evolution rewards patience.

93 Points - Wine Spectator:

A racy burst of acidity creates an initial linear feel on the palate of this intriguing white, which quickly broadens to reveal layer upon layer of finely meshed flavors, from rich notes of toasted almond and crystallized honey to elements of tangerine peel and baked pear fruit, dried mint and beeswax. The lively acidity works in tandem with an underlying streak of salinity that drives through the lasting, mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2030.