Martínez Lacuesta 1970 Reserva Especial

Wine: Martínez Lacuesta 1970 Reserva Especial

Winery: Bodegas Martínez Lacuesta (Haro, La Rioja)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 80% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo, 5% Graciano
ABV: 12% vol.

Winemaking:
The wine rests for 18 to 24 months in large wooden vats to complete malolactic fermentation and natural stabilization. It undergoes an extensive maturation period of 84 to 96 months in seasoned 225-liter American oak barrels. A minimum of 3 years of bottle aging in the winery’s cellars is required before its commercial release.
 

Note of Interest: For years, this wine was bottled with a bespoke label for the Spanish Royal Household, serving as the primary choice for official banquets and Royal travels.

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Reddish-ruby color with medium depth; clear, limpid, and sediment-free. Radiant with reddish and orange reflections. Broad, tile-colored (atejado) rim, showing subtle differentiation from the meniscus.

 

Nose: Plenitud on the nose; perfumed and remarkably fragrant. It reveals a generous display of candied red fruit (cherries) seamlessly integrated into a mortar of smoked spices and exquisite woods. Elegance at its peak: open and more expressive than most vintages of this Reserva Especial. It evolves continuously without losing its focus, dominated by a floral character quintessential to this label, while imparting a delicate patina of earthy notes and forest floor.

 

Palate: Silky and caressing to the touch, yet firmly built, solid, and compact. It exhibits more energy than in previous tastings—savory, mature, and filled with weathered fruit melded into oak and vanilla, all amplified by a fantastic acidity. A wine in capital letters; the finest from this winery tasted to date.

 

Commentary:
This 1970 is an absolute masterpiece of the Haro style, combining the historical prestige of the Royal Household’s choice with a structural vigor that defies its age. It represents the pinnacle of Martínez Lacuesta’s traditional winemaking.

 

Personal Score: 94
Tasting Group Average: 94

Tasting Notes (15/10/2013)

 

Appearance: Very clear reddish-ruby color with medium-low depth; limpid. Luminous with orange and amber reflections. Broad, tile-colored (atejado) rim.

 

Nose: Medium intensity, fine, and subtle, showing a reticent character that unfolds gradually. It presents a frank expression of very ripe red fruit (sloe, strawberry tree) and withered flowers, with hints of old leather. A slightly reductive background reveals nuances of solera, wine-soaked staves, toast, and cocoa powder. It opens slowly toward fine woods, cedar, tobacco leaf, clove, and vanilla, supported by an increasingly present and high-quality earthy register (humus, leaf litter, walnut bark). A red of immense smoothness and elegance, contrasting with the greater potency of other vintages such as '58, '62, or '73.

 

Palate: It possesses more weight than expected, showing notable firmness and structure without losing the fluidity, light step, and freshness associated with Martínez Lacuesta’s Reserva Especial. A settled and mature red with a pronounced vanilla flavor and caressing tannins, sustained throughout by a magnificent acidity. Remarkably easy to drink.

 

Commentary:
An early glimpse into the legendary 1970 vintage. While in 2003 it appeared more delicate and subtle than its "powerhouse" siblings, the palate already revealed the structural integrity and acidity that would allow it to gain even more poise and energy in the following decades.

 

Personal Score: 90
Tasting Group Average: 91