Marqués de Arienzo 1976 Gran Reserva

Wine: Marqués de Arienzo 1976 Gran Reserva

Winery: Bodegas Domecq (Elciego, Álava)
Appellation: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 100% Tempranillo
ABV: 13%

Winemaking
The wine spent 12 months in tanks followed by 24 months of aging in 225-liter French oak barrels. It was bottled in 1980 and rested for a minimum of 48 months in the winery’s bottle cellar prior to its commercial release. 

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Brownish-cherry of medium depth; brick-colored rim, clean and bright with orange highlights.

 

Nose: Initially presents itself as remarkably integral, showing signs of sound evolution, though it requires aeration to fully expand. The tertiary component dominates, offering soft toasted notes of a classic Riojan profile. It reveals wine-soaked staves, creamy toast, bitter cocoa, and a subtle vegetal, almost mentholated note that melds into ripe red fruit. 

 

Palate: Medium-bodied, refined, fresh, soft, and elegant. In many ways, it evokes the historic Murrieta Etiqueta Blanca due to its decisive commitment to subtlety and balance. The tannins are silky and rounded—sculpted by the years yet still vibrant. A very approachable red that demonstrates how the so-called "new Rioja wines" of the mid-1970s (of which Domecq was a key proponent) have evolved. 

 

Personal Score: 91
Tasting Group Score: 92