Established in 1852, Murrieta is one of the oldest and most respected bodegas in Rioja Alta. Their wines are concentrated and long-lived and some, like “Castillo Ygay”, have become legendary amongst wine-lovers.
It has been over a decade since Marqués de Murrieta last produced a Rosé. During this time Maria Vargas, head winemaker, has been working tirelessly to produce a unique expression from the Ygay Estate and with the outstanding 2015 vintage she has found just that. This is the first Rosé to be released worldwide which is exclusively made from Mazuelo, marking a turning point for Spanish Rosé.
Primer Rosé is made with grapes from Lucas single vineyard, a 5-hectare plot planted in 1985 on the Ygay Estate. The soil is mainly calcareous-clay with alluvial boulder stones and it is located at 350 m altitude.
Right after reception in the cellar grapes are de-stemmed and grape juice is separated from grape skins and then fermented in a stainless steel tank at a controlled temperature of 10º C (50ºF) avoiding malolactic fermentation. After fermentation the wine is left in contact with its lees for 40 days adding density.
Winter was very dry with little rain which resulted in moderate vine growth. In the summer there was also little rain and no excessive heat. Autumh was both dry and warm with wide day/night temperature variations bringing enormous benefits to the last stages of ripening and allowing a slow, staggered harvest. One of the best vintages of the last decade.
An aromatic festival of red apples, redcurrants and orange peel over a spicy base of thyme with hints of fine pastry and violets. On the palate it is pleasant, well-balanced, polished and refined. Subtleness and character go always hand in hand in this wine.
“Our bet on the mazuelo grape as our exclusive variety is reinforced after seeing how it shows in this Primer Rosé 2021” María Vargas – Technical Manager
Smoked fish, white meat, foie, cheeses, Asian food and rice dishes
Serve at 10º-11º C.
Preonsa: 94 points
Robert Parker: 93 points
Rioja Alta, Spain
100% Mazuelo
Natural cork
14%
No
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