Ratings & Tasting Notes:
90 points Wine Enthusiast (Michael Schachner)
This review notes the wine holds onto classic Rioja character despite the vintage’s extreme heat, describing tobacco, spice, tea, and black cherry flavors, noting it’s “a bigger, rounder wine than in the past” and best enjoyed within the next few years.
Community Score: 87.7 (CellarTracker, based on 116 tasting notes, 90% “Like It”)
Cult Wines International Notes:
Marqués de Riscal is one of Rioja’s oldest and most storied wineries, founded in 1858 by Guillermo Hurtado de Amézaga in the town of Elciego. Amézaga studied winemaking in Bordeaux before returning to apply French techniques to Spanish Tempranillo, becoming the first winery in Rioja to age its wines in barrique — a genuine first for the region. The estate later became globally famous for an entirely different reason: in 2006, architect Frank Gehry designed a strikingly modern titanium-clad hotel on the estate grounds, transforming Marqués de Riscal into as much an architectural icon as a wine one. The Reserva is built from Tempranillo grown in the clay-limestone soils of Rioja Alavesa, aged roughly two years in American oak in keeping with the estate’s classic house style.
The 2003 growing season is remembered across Europe for one of the most extreme heatwaves on record, and Rioja was no exception — official regional assessments rated the vintage “Good” rather than exceptional, reflecting its mixed, challenging character. The intense heat pushed grapes toward higher sugar and alcohol levels than usual, producing wines that tend to be riper, rounder, and more forward than a classic-style Rioja vintage. While not considered a top-tier year, well-made Reservas from 2003 — like this one — held onto the traditional tobacco, spice, and dried fruit character the region is known for, offering an interesting, fully mature snapshot of an unusually hot Rioja summer.
Bottle Size:
750 mL
Storage History:
Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.
Condition:
Please note: The bottle shown is the exact bottle being sold.
Minor capsule staining as shown. Otherwise outstanding condition.
