Marques de Murrieta Dalmau Rioja 2019

Description

Marques de Murrieta Dalmau Rioja is a modern, avant-garde expression of Riojan terroir which is somewhat in contrast with the much more traditional wines that form the rest of the Marques de Murrieta catalogue. The addition of Cabernet Sauvignon certainly lends the wine a more “international” character.

Marques de Murrieta was established in 1852 and is one of the oldest and most respected bodegas of Rioja. Their traditional wines are made in a “classic” Rioja style and receive long ageing in barrel before release. Their wines are concentrated and long-lived, both red and white, and some – like the Gran Reserva “Castillo Ygay” – have become legendary amongst Rioja-lovers. The bodega was acquired by the Cebrián-Sagarriga family in 1983 and continue with a distinct winemaking philosophy that is founded in the pursuit of quality and excellence through tradition and innovation.

Marques de Murrieta Dalmau is produced from grapes sourced from the estate’s 9 hectare Canajas vineyard. The Canajas plot consists of a single vineyard with an average vine age of 50 years located within the 300 hectare Ygay Estate located at over 480 metres above sea level in the Rioja Alta. Its soil is mainly iron-clay with a stony topsoil, which favours optimal ripening. Yields are very low; after veraison, crop-thinning is carried out to limit production up to 1 kg per vine, selecting bunches with small, concentrated berries.

Marques de Murrieta Dalmau Rioja is a blend of primarily Tempranillo grapes with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Graciano. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed and carefully sorted prior to fermentation. Each grape variety ferments separately for around 10 days in 13,900 litre Allier French oak vats at controlled temperature. During this period, regular pumping over and delestage are carried out to ensure a perfect extraction of polyphenolic compounds. The wine is matured for 20 months in Allier French oak barrels and 6 months in concrete vats before bottling.

Marques de Murrieta Dalmau 2019 is a blend of 86% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Graciano.