Wine: Marqués del Romeral 1975 Gran ReservaWinery: Bodegas Félix Azpilicueta Martínez - AGE Bodegas Unidas (Fuenmayor, La Rioja)
Appellation: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 60% Tempranillo, 25% Mazuelo, 15% Graciano
ABV: 12.5%
Appellation: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 60% Tempranillo, 25% Mazuelo, 15% Graciano
ABV: 12.5%
Winemaking
The wine spent 12 months in large tanks to complete malolactic fermentation and settle before being transferred to wood. It matured for 36 months in seasoned 225-liter American oak barrels. Prior to its commercial release, it was aged for a minimum of 48 months in the winery’s subterranean bottle cellars (calados).
The wine spent 12 months in large tanks to complete malolactic fermentation and settle before being transferred to wood. It matured for 36 months in seasoned 225-liter American oak barrels. Prior to its commercial release, it was aged for a minimum of 48 months in the winery’s subterranean bottle cellars (calados).
Tasting Notes
Appearance: A beautiful ruby of medium-low depth; exceptionally clear, clean, and luminous. It features a broad, fully brick-colored rim.
Nose:
Powerful and crafted with immense Riojan classicism, yet stylistically
closer to contemporary Gran Reservas (such as Marqués de Cáceres, LAN,
or Faustino I) than to its peers from the mid-1970s. It remains youthful
and remarkably intact, seemingly untouched by time and showing no signs
of fatigue. The bouquet opens with "barnyard" nuances, wine-soaked
staves, sloes, and orange marmalade. It possesses a restrained tertiary
character with hints of cocoa butter and a slightly sweet (abocado) quality, gaining an almost unbelievable level of intensity as it breathes.
Palate:
Bone-dry, rounded, and completely polished. Medium-bodied with an
engaging acidity, it is remarkably integral and compact, offering
subtle, elegant bitters. Savory, intense, and full. This is a Gran
Reserva of modern precision that has reached its absolute prime in peak
condition. It surprises with its poise, vivacity, and fantastic acidity.
Arguably the finest wine from Bodegas AGE, clearly representing the
pinnacle of Félix Azpilicueta’s winemaking. This Romeral stands apart
from later productions; in certain vintages, it was marketed as Siglo Etiqueta Negra Gran Reserva and rivals the Azpilicueta Gran Reserva in quality. Simply put: a red wine suspended in time.
Personal Score: 93
Tasting Group Score: 94
Tasting Group Score: 94
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