Ramirez de la Piscina 2007 Gran Reserva The name Ramírez de la Piscina traces its lineage back to the Navarra Kings who fought in the First Crusade during the 11th century. Included among this noble ancestry is the famous Cid Campeador. The name is also strongly embedded in the small village of San Vicente de la Sonsierra, which is centrally located in the Sonsierra lands, in the heart of La Rioja Alta. Bodegas Ramírez de la Piscina elaborates its wines with grapes proceeding from its own vineyards located in Abalos and from other very carefully selected estates. Aged for 24 months in American and French oak, and cellared for 36…
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R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Gran Reserva 1995 It all started in the middle of the nineteenth century when French negociants visited the Rioja region to find alternative sources of quality grapes to transform into wine, since the phylloxera epidemic had decimated their vineyards. Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic student in the art of wine making, followed closely in their footsteps. Don Rafael fell in love with the region and especially the area around Haro, the mythical capital of the Rioja Alta region. He observed that there was a magical combination of soil and climate that would offer the perfect environment for producing…
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Bodegas Muga 2010 Rioja Selección Especial Reserva The Muga wine cellars were founded in 1932 by Isaac Muga Martínez who originated from a family with strong ties to the winemaking industry. On the death of the founder in 1969, his children Manuel, Isabel and Isaac Muga Caño took over the reins. Two years later in 1971, they moved their headquarters to their present location in the traditional Station District on the outskirts of Haro. Bodegas Muga has continued to grow as the years have passed but it has never lost the spirit of a family-run company. The winery controls every step of the viticultural and vinification process from the vineyards…
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La Rioja Alta S.A. 2007 Viña Ardanza Reserva On the 10th of July 1890, five Basque and Rioja families shared their passion for wine and founded “Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta” in what is known as the Haro Station District. That day was the start of an ongoing searching for excellence that their descendants still pursue today. The company changed its name to “LA RIOJA ALTA“ in 1891, and in 1941 the company took on its present name, LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. A year later, chairman of the board, Leandro Ardanza Angulo, registered the renowned brand name, “Viña Ardanza”. To give you a little taste of the town of Haro, in…
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Muga 2006 Gran Reserva Prado Enea Since the XVII century, the Muga family has been linked to the wine world and to the area of Rioja. Fast forward to 1932 when Bodega Muga Winery was founded and today the winery operates with the same principals it did almost 100 years ago. Muga also has its own cooperage and is able to control the right touch of oak desired in its offerings. Bodegas Muga vineyards are located on the foot of the Montes Obarenses, within the area called Rioja Alta. The site climate is exceptional due to, on the one hand, the singular geography and orientation of the vines and on…
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Campillo 1996 Reserva Especial Bodegas Campillo represents the culmination of the accumulated experience of four generations of winemakers who sought a site at the heart of Rioja Alavesa, Laguardia. Strategically placed in a location in which all key factors: altitude, climate, soil and terrain are ideally suited for growing grapes and ageing their wines. Juilio Faustino Martínez always had the dream of creating a winery surrounded by vineyards, thus transforming the concept of château to the land of Rioja wine. To this end he started his project by acquiring 35 hectares of land near Laguardia in the 1980s which were later expanded to 50. After several years, in 1988, everything…
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Martinez Lacuesta 2005 Reserva Félix Martínez Lacuesta, obtained a law doctorate from the University of Madrid, founded the bodega in 1895, at 21 years of age, together with his brothers. He was the first president of the National Society of Winemakers and Associated Industries and he directed the La Rioja Wine Syndicate. In 1909 Don Félix Martínez Lacuesta was granted a registered trademark “Martínez Lacuesta” for all types of wine, one of the oldest trademarks in Spain. Fast forward to 2009 where the company’s director Don Luis Martínez Lacuesta completed a new bodega in Haro, on a piece of land called Ubieta, that has been in operation since 2010. Opening…
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Ramón Bilbao 2005 Gran Reserva Bodegas Ramón Bilbao was founded by Ramón Bilbao Murga, an experienced wine trader who had been selling wine since 1896 from premises at Calle Las Cuevas in Haro. Ramón Bilbao was a forward-looking grape grower; a pioneer in the art of ageing. The winery was handed down from one generation to the next until the year 1966, when Ramón Bilbao Pozo, the last of the descendants, died. The business was converted into a corporation with new shareholders. New facilities were built, also in Haro. The new company wished to continue the work of its founder, Ramón Bilbao, and concentrated on making aged wines. The family…
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La Rioja Alta S.A. 2001 Gran Reserva 904 On the 10th of July 1890, five Basque and Rioja families shared their passion for wine and founded “Sociedad Vinicola De La Rioja Alta” in what is known as the Haro Station District. La Rioja Alta, S.A. That day was the start of an ongoing searching for excellence that their descendants still pursue today. The company changed its name to “LA RIOJA ALTA” in 1891, and in 1941 the company took on its present name, LA RIOJA ALTA, S.A. A year later, chairman of the board, Leandro Ardanza Angulo, the renowned brand name, “Viña Ardanza”, was registered. To give you a little…
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Marqués de Murrieta 2007 Rioja Reserva I recently reviewed Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta’s Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 2005, see my June 27, 2014 Cellar Selection review, which is their outstanding flagship wine made only in exceptional years. Bodegas Marqués de Murrieta was founded by Luciano Francisco Ramon de Murrieta in 1852. He spent his youth in Peru and then moved to London. In 1844, Luciano settled in Spain and decided to make wine. In 1878, he purchased the 300-hectares Ygay Estate in the Rioja Alta. Queen Isabel II made him Marquesado de Murrieta; and so the estate of Marqués de Murrieta was born. In 1983, Bodegas Marqués de…