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.

Even more outstanding than the 2020, the incredibly priced 2021 Reserva is young in boisterous blue fruit, with a generous, full-bodied palate of richness and upfront power. The tannins add length and breadth to the wine, which is tasting great and could go another 10-15 years.

The 2021 Rioja “Reserva” from Marqués de Murrieta is made this year from a cépages of eighty-six percent tempranillo, eight percent graciano, four percent mazuelo and two percent garnacha. The wine was aged for twenty-six months in American oak casks prior to assemblage. It comes in at 14.3 percent octane in this vintage and offers up a simply outstanding aromatic constellation of sweet dark berries, cassis, Cuban cigar wrapper, a beautiful base of chalky soil tones, a dollop of Rioja spice tones, woodsmoke and a refined framing of American oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure, full-bodied and nicely ripe, with a stunning core of fruit, superb soil undertow and grip, ripe, buried tannins and great length and grip on the very well balanced finish. There is just a whisper of backend heat here from the wine’s octane, but it is very minimal and will not adversely affect how the wine ages. 2037-2085.

The 2020 Rioja “Reserva” from Marqués de Murrieta is just a touch lower in octane than the superb 2021 version, as this vintage the wine comes in at an even thirteen percent alcohol. The wine is crafted in this vintage from a blend of eighty-two percent tempranillo, eight percent graciano, seven percent mazuelo and three percent garnacha. The wine’s élevage in cask was twenty-one months in this vintage, with the barrels again all made of American oak. The wine’s aromatic constellation is utterly refined, wafting from the glass in a mix of cassis, black raspberries, Cuban cigar wrapper, coffee bean, a complex base of soil, refined Rioja spice tones and a beautiful foundation of American oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, precise and superbly complex, with a lovely core of fruit, great soil inflection and grip, fine-grained tannins and a very, very long, seamlessly balanced finish. This does not quite have the same mid-palate volume as the excellent 2021 Reserva, but it is a touch better balanced and more elegant wine. It is a great and utterly classic Rioja in the making. 2035-2085.

The 2021 Marqués de Murrieta blends 86% Tempranillo, 4% Mazuelo, 8% Graciano and 2% Garnacha. This aged for 26 months in barrels. The complex nose offers cherry, traces of camphor and cassis, dried flowers and blood orange. In the mouth, it's juicy, supple and layered, with flexible tannins and a rich, sustained finish. The 2021 is a refined, expressive red enhanced by an elegant vintage.