Marqués de Arienzo 2001 Gran Reserva

Wine: Marqués de Arienzo 2001 Gran Reserva
Winery: Bodegas Domecq (Elciego, Álava)
Appellation / Zone: D.O.Ca. Rioja
Varietals: 100% Tempranillo
ABV: 13% vol. 

Winemaking:
The wine spends 12 months in stainless steel tanks to complete fermentation and stabilize before being racked for wood aging. It matures in 225-liter French and American oak barrels for 30 to 36 months, with a total of two rackings per year. Aged for a minimum of 30 months in the bottle within the winery's cellars before commercial release. 

 

Tasting Notes

 

Appearance: Garnet-cherry color with medium-high depth; opaque and more covered than expected for an Arienzo Gran Reserva. Brilliant and clean with reddish and coppery reflections. Broad orange rim, sharply contrasted against the meniscus. 

 

Nose: An onslaught of creamy oak, dairy notes, toasted cereal (biscotti), and sweet spices. Indulgent (goloso) and powerful, its intense aging overwhelms the senses, leaving very little room for anything else to emerge during the first two hours. Eventually, it reveals very ripe red and black fruit, subtly spiced with hints of clove and laurel. Over time, it loses its initial "muscle," stripping away the fanfare to reveal a skeleton that seems slightly too thin for such heavy oak. Faint balsamic and smoky traces linger without reaching a clear destination.

 

Palate: Fully settled, friendly, and round. Savory and heavily marked by its aging, yet with polished tannins that go unnoticed. It lacks some strength but remains more pleasant than the nose initially suggests. It bears no resemblance to the fine Gran Reservas crafted by Domecq in the 1970s.

 

Commentary:
A wine that lacks finesse and has an excess of oak. It sits in a stylistic limbo—neither classic nor modern. While drinkable, it is far from being one of the best representatives of the excellent 2001 vintage. The "excesses" of its time are clearly visible here.

 

Personal Score: 85
Tasting Group Average: 84