Marqués de Riscal 1963 Reserva

Wine: Marqués de Riscal 1963 Reserva

Winery: Marqués de Riscal (Elciego, Álava)
Appellation: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 75% Tempranillo, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
ABV: [Not specified]

Winemaking
The blend includes a negligible percentage of white varietals (primarily Viura), as it was customary at the time to plant a few white vines at the head of the rows for family consumption, which were ultimately harvested and processed alongside the red grapes. The wine spent approximately 12 months in tanks before maturing for 45 to 50 months in seasoned 225-liter American oak barrels. Regular rackings were performed every three months during the first three years to avoid the need for filtration prior to bottling. Clarified through traditional methods using fresh egg whites and bottled by hand directly from the cask. It rested for a minimum of 5 years in the bottle prior to its commercial release. Bottles are recorked every 15 years.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Brownish-ruby of medium-high depth with reddish highlights. It features a broad, slightly orange rim and is bright.

 

Nose: Displays a fine initial reduction—exceptionally elegant and aristocratic. A textbook Riscal that gains power and detail as it breathes. Clean and perfumed, with a hint of candied fruit, withered flowers, and the house-signature petal notes. It offers a nearly endless amalgam of details: cocoa powder, gunpowder, stable, ripe red fruit, Russian leather, birch, and fine cabinetry. While abundant in nuances, it lacks the depth and significance of the estate's greatest harvests.

 

Palate: Pure silk. Polished, rounded, and elegant, with an overflowing amount of nearly citrus-like preserves and sufficient acidity. Somewhat static, it does not quite continue to evolve in the glass as a great Riscal usually does. It has reached its optimal drinking window and should be enjoyed now without further delay. This is a Reserva from a very difficult vintage that remains consistent with the house style of the decade, though it is lighter in character and weight. A rare opportunity to taste a wine from a harvest as unfortunate as 1963. It provides great drinking pleasure, yet lacks that inexplicable "magical touch" so abundant in the following vintage. Nevertheless, it was enjoyed to the very last drop.

 

Personal Score: 91
Tasting Group Score: 92

Etiqueta del primer Rioja, "El Medoc Alavés" (1862-1868). Vino patrocinado por la Diputación alavesa y prototipo de todos los nuevos Rioja que vendrán años más tarde. En él participan notables de los municipios de Labastida, Laguardia y Samaniego. En representación de Elciego colabora Camilo Hurtado de Amézaga, Marqués de Riscal.