Marqués de Murrieta Capellanía Viura (Single Vineyard)

Navnet Capellanía kommer fra en lille vinmark i 485 meters højde, som siden 1945 har været tilplantet med 100% Viura. Det var her, historien om fadlagret hvid Rioja startede sin rejse, og den dag i dag er Capellanía en af Spaniens største, mest komplekse hvidvine af sin slags. Druerne til vinen høstes nænsomt, sorteres herefter grundigt og presses efter en ganske kort skindkontakt i en vertikal presse. Druemosten gærer herfter ca. 3 uger i ståltanke, inden vinen lagres ca. 12-17 måneder i nye franske egetræsfade. I aromaen opstår dermed et storladent samsurium af indtryk, først fra friske og bagte gule æbler, ristede nødder, vanilje og karamel, der ved nærmere eftertanke får selskab af både saltmandler, brunet smør, citronskal og meget mere. På tungen er vinen cremet, fyldig og intens men også med en energisk, let bitter kant, der yder modspil og bringer kærkommen friskhed over land. Dette er med andre ord en vin skabt til at matche intens gastronomi, f.eks. stegt pighvar med en fed sauce, grillet hummere eller lyst kød samt, ikke mindst, faste oste som comté, vesterhavsost og naturligvis manchego. Capellanía kan gemmes op til 15 år fra høståret og vil blot udvikle endnu større kompleksitet med alderen. For at få det fulde udbytte af dens mange nuancer anbefaler vi ikke at servere vinen under 8 grader. 95 point - James Suckling A white with pretty vanilla, toasted-wood, cooked-apple and lemon character. Medium to full body, creamy texture and a flavorful finish. 94 point - Robert Parker, oktober 2020 I was really looking forward to the 2016 Capellanía, the white that inherited the tradition of long aging in barrel that used to be the norm in Rioja until the 1980s. It's structured, and they strive for aging potential while keeping some of the varietal character. It comes from a plot on the Ygay property that gives the wine its name; it's their highest plot at 485 meters in altitude. The grapes were picked the 3rd and 4th of October from the six hectares, and the must from pressing the clusters fermented at 10 degrees Celsius in stainless steel. And without going through malolactic, the wine was put in mostly new oak barrels, where it matured for 16 months, and then it was kept in concrete until bottling. It has 13.5% alcohol and very good freshness and acidity, and it comes through as very dry. They love 2016 as a vintage, to the point that they will not release a red Castillo Ygay 2015 (which was considered a very good vintage), because they believe it would be overshadowed by 2016. This is their oldest vineyard, and it seems to have a mind of its own. So, it doesn't necessarily follow what the other ones do, and in a vintage that saw a large crop, it delivered lower yields and they produced a lot less. The wine is still quite oaky, but I consider this a wine for the medium and long term (I'm still waiting for my 2004s!); but after a couple of hours in the glass, it felt a lot more harmonious. The palate is textured, rich and serious, with a chalky sensation and a long, dry and tasty, almost salty finish. This should make a nice bottle of aged white Rioja. 39,411 bottles and 400 magnums produced. It was bottled in late January 2020. This will be released in the spring of 2021.