2004 Rueda from Marqués de Riscal

Hi,

I'm not too well-versed in Spanish wines and admittedly have sort of a prejudice against the whites, but this is the second time I've had this wine and quite enjoyed it.

I can remember white Riojas from Riscal that were to my mind quite oxidised and not to my taste at all. However, I haven't tasted any of them lately.

I firmly intend to visit the winery in the near future. It is said to be utterly fantastic:

http://www.marquesderiscal.com/

Back to the wine, this was crisp and well-focused with good acidity and fruit.
It went down a treat with my wife's chicken risotto (in fact, I think a white wine was probably a better match to the dish than most reds).

Best regards,
Alex R.

Thanks for the recommendation, Alex, I'll check it out. How impressive that Frank Gehry designed their winery!

Alex.

Yo are mixing the white Rioja Riscal up with something else. There has actually never been a white Riscal from Rioja only the Rueda. Most other major world wide known bodegas do or did make the kind of white Rioja you describe.

Riscal has a spectacular hotel, designed by the same architect that designed the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. The winery itself is a semi automatic fabric that impress people who are interested in technique.

Visit Rioja is very nice, but go to these instead: Vina Tondonia, Marques de Murrieta, Labastida, Allende and Remelluri.

Best
Fredrik Svensson, Luxembourg

Frederik,

You are dead right. I think I'm confusing my Marquis!
The white Rioja I didn't like came from, I believe, Marqués de Murietta.

Thanks for setting me straight.

All the best,
Alex

Thanks, Alex. I do tend to like Ruedas, though I never seem to buy enough.

Visit Rioja is very nice, but go to these instead: Vina Tondonia, Marques de Murrieta, Labastida, Allende and Remelluri.

By Tondonia I assume you meant Lopez de Heredia? I'm not familiar with Labastida, where would you put them in the style spectrum?

Article on Rueda (and Riscal's influence) here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/dinin ... cal&st=nyt

Frederik,

You are dead right. I think I'm confusing my Marquis!
The white Rioja I didn't like came from, I believe, Marqués de Murietta.

Thanks for setting me straight.

All the best,
Alex

Yes the Murietta always gave me the same problem - deep colour and taste to match whereas the Riscal has always been a light, clean taste at less than half the price.

Of course different grapes, area and winemaking and there are more complex Rueda wines at suitably higher but still reasonable prices.

Nevertheless the Riscal Rueda used to be our regular lunchtime wine back in the late 90s to 2001 when we holidayed every year at the Hotel Aigua Blava near Girona, Spain. Thanks for the memories

Of course different grapes, area and winemaking and there are more complex Rueda wines at suitably higher but still reasonable prices.

Nevertheless the Riscal Rueda used to be our regular lunchtime wine back in the late 90s to 2001 when we holidayed every year at the Hotel Aigua Blava near Girona, Spain. Thanks for the memories

Nigel, I often buy the Riscal Tinto, the Reserva, and it's a real bargain at $15.00 here. I seem to always bypass the Rueda vino Blanco, and it is priced even better at $6.99 per 750ml. I suppose I should get some of it to try as a summer sipper. I broke my wine eyetooth on Riscal Reserva back in the late 60's and early 70's while I was in Seville with the USAF. I could get it for $1.00 per bottle then. Those were the days.

Labastida is very much their own, a bit like Remelluri.

They are biodynamic - the owner has worked three vintages with Nicolas Joly. They have some very nice terraces vineyards with old wines so its a hidden gem.

Best
Fredrik Svensson, Luxembourg

Is Rioja Blanco usually from Rueda grape? Viura grape? a blend of some kind? I'm enjoying the Cautivo Blanco from Heredad di Baroja but don't know what grapes are used in it.

Based on the Rioja whites that I've had, they are usually a blend of Viura grapes with a small amount of Malvasia.

Ramon

Thank you for your reply, Ramon.

Based on the Rioja whites that I've had, they are usually a blend of Viura grapes with a small amount of Malvasia.

Ramon

I think Ramon is correct - that's by far most common blend. There are other permitted grapes now (SB, Verdejo, Chard), but majority has to be native grapes (Viura, Malvasia, and I think Grenache blanc). But something like 90% of white vines in region are Viura.

If we're talking about Rueda, I am quite a fan at the moment. From Bodega Alvarez y Diez, I have been drinking their Mantel Blanco (Sauvignon Blanc) particularly. It has 4 gms of residual sugar, so has a faint touch of sweetness balancing out the wonderful S. blanc character. Their other white is verdejo which is very very good. They also have a red, called Valmoro, that's pretty tasty. Very much modern wine making, clean and concentrated.
cheers, Bonnie

Yesterday I picked up a half bottle of 06 Riscal Rueda, no small feat given the spotty supply down here. Will report on it soon.

Had the above-mentioned half-bottle yesterday night and it was very pleasant, with grapefruit, white flowers and a hint of peach on the nose, good acidity and reasonable weight in the mouth. Nothing really memorable beyond simple rightness, but I see this selling for $7 (750ml) on Wine-Searcher, so it's an impressive QPR.

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Had the above-mentioned half-bottle yesterday night and it was very pleasant, with grapefruit, white flowers and a hint of peach on the nose, good acidity and reasonable weight in the mouth. Nothing really memorable beyond simple rightness, but I see this selling for $7 (750ml) on Wine-Searcher, so it's an impressive QPR.

Oswaldo - your note describes it exactly for me except I couldn't have written it so descriptively. I might just add the tiniest hint of aniseed to your fine mix of grapefruit, white flowers and peach.

It is a simple 100% verdejo wine without significant complexity but is clean and bright with a good spine and goes well with light fish and chicken dishes. As you say it is also an excellent QPR.

We enjoyed it most on holiday in Spain having lunch on the terrace by the swimming pool.

Spot on, Nigel! I got a whiff of anise, but only once, so I thought it was a mirage...