Marqués de Murrieta Capellanía White Reserva
Rioja, Spain
Vintage:2017 (Past)
2018 (Current) | 2019 (Pending)
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Reviews
The Wine Advocate 94 Points
“The 2017 Capellanía comes from the earliest harvest in recent times. It's pure Viura from the vineyard that names the wine and was aged in French oak barrels, which comes from the tradition of whites with a long aging in wood that were one of the hallmarks of Murrieta, structured and with good aging potential. These are some of the oldest vines, planted in 1945 at the highest elevation, 485 meters above sea level. The grapes were picked September 13th and 14th, when the bunches were pressed in a vertical press and the must fermented slowly in stainless steel at 10 degrees Celsius without going through malolactic fermentation. The wine matured in French barriques for 24 months, but since 2016, the wines are sharper and they also started introducing a small percentage of American oak barrels. It's 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.23 and 6.58 grams of acidity (tartaric), and it has more integrated oak and is sharper and fresher. It's medium-bodied, with less volume and more length, beautifully textured and tasty. It follows the general path in the winery toward more freshness and elegance. It's even more remarkable given how adverse the natural conditions from 2017 were... 22,920 bottles were filled in March 2021, a much shorter production than the 2016. The wine will change more in 2018 when they started fermenting the wine in concrete.”
JamesSuckling.com 95 Points
“ A creamy, complex and flavorful Rioja here, with intense lemon rind, brioche and pastries, fresh apricots, almond and fine lees. A round, intense and full-bodied expression with sleek, concentrated flavors with mouth-cleansing acidity. Very serious and long! 100% viura from 90-year-old vines. Drink or hold.”
Decanter 97 Points
“The one wine that has potential to become even subtler and more complex than Murrieta’s Ygay is its Capellanía. Showing how the well-kept traditions of Rioja can be informed by today’s knowledge, it is a most refined wine, made after very long ageing in French barriques. An inimitable mix of a unique vineyard and exceptional wisdom.”
View From the Cellar 94+ Points
“The Capellanía Rioja Blanco Reserva from Marqués de Murrieta is made entirely from Viura, with the vines planted at the very highest elevation on the Ygay estate. The wine is aged for sixteen months in new French oak casks prior to bottling. The 2017 will be released shortly and offers up an excellent bouquet of pear, lemon blossoms, macadamia nut, white soil tones, honeysuckle and a deft framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and complex, with a superb core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, impeccable balance and a long, refined and vibrant finish. This is a stunning young wine, which is a cross between traditional and modern styles of Rioja Blanco. It will certainly be drinkable when it arrives in the market, but it has the structure to age long and gracefully and I suspect it will be even better at ten or twelve years of age than it will be upon release. Great juice.”
Overview
The Cebrián-Sagarriga family, who in 1983 acquired the winery, established in 1852, has a distinct winemaking philosophy that is founded in the pursuit of quality and excellence through tradition and innovation.
Capellanía is made solely from viura grapes from the winery's 14.8-acre Capellanía vineyard, originally planted in 1945 and located on a plateau at 485 meters, the highest altitude of the 741-acre Ygay Estate in Rioja Alta. A deep golden color, its complex aroma and rich taste are the hallmarks of this world famous white wine.
Capellanía comes out as the bridge between the complexity of past wines with extended oak aging periods, and the cleanliness, freshness and defining style of the current wines. In the search for less oak influence, Capellania is the updated version of the historic white wines of Marqués de Murrieta which traditionally went through decades of oak aging.
Winemaking
After a manual harvest, grapes are carefully crushed and after a short skin contact they are gently pressed in a vertical press. This is a gentle and slow process that favors the extraction of all the aromatic potential from the low-yield viura grapes. The juice is then settled and fermented in a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank for 24 days.
Food Pairing
Duck mi-cuit, bitter orange marmalade and ginger or grilled foie gras with warmed red fruits. It is recommended to decant the wine 15 minutes before serving to let it breathe and show its full aromatic potential. Best served between 55°and 57°F.
Technical Information
Varietals: 100% Viura
Wine Alcohol: 14%
Titratable Acidity: 6.58 g/L
pH: 3.23
Harvest Start Date: September 13, 2017
Harvest End Date: September 14, 2017
Aging: 16 months in 225-litre new French oak barrels