MARQUES DE RISCAL XR Special, Rioja Reserva 2015/16 Bottle

Description

Intense black-cherry colour with good depth of colour and hardly any signs of evolution. Very expressive aromas on the nose with notes of liquorice, cinnamon and black pepper, with just a subtle hint of the long cask-ageing, thanks to its great complexity and ripe, concentrated fruit. Fresh and easy to drink on the palate, good backbone and lovely, polished tannins. The long, persistent finish leaves gentle balsamic reminders of the finest quality. At Marqués de Riscal, there used to be “winemaker’s wines” among its Historic Reservas, like the Reserva Medoc and the XR, which never became commercial names. In the tradition of the Jerez capataces (cellarmasters), the enologist marked some of the barrels in chalk with the letters XR as a consequence of having found special characteristics which were not present in others. This custom lasted almost a century, between the harvests of 1869 and 1964. XR 2016, its second vintage, pays tribute to all the master winemakers who, from Jean Pineau to today, have helped to forge a part of the greatest history of Spanish wine in Marqués de Riscal.