We’ll get the name, which will be a stumbling block for some, out of the way first. The property is called Castillo de Cuzcurrita (Cuzcurrita Castle), and the wine itself, the premium bottling from this estate, is Senorio de Cuzcurrita. Located half an hour west of Haro, Rioja’s ‘holy city’, is a castle with a history dating back to the 14th Century. We love getting into historical stuff but there isn’t space this time around (the owner is completely renovating the property to preserve the unique architecture). The castle has seen many owners over its life time but the current owner, whose name was never mentioned anywhere that we read, purchased the property in 1999.
Within the courtyard of this castle is an enclosed vineyard containing vines up to 80-years-of-age which was the inspiration for this wine. Winemaker Ana Martin, who has a reputation in Spain but has few wines in this market, was hired to make magic here. The owner underwrote a modern gravity flow winery for the property, no small task given the terrain, and the first vintage was a 1999. The proprietor was so pleased with it he decided to sell it commercially the following year.
There’s a lot of info to digest but we’ll try and keep it tight. Located in the hamlet of Cuzcurrita del Rio Tiron, at 600 meters above sea level, in Rioja Alta, this is the coolest and highest microclimate within the DO. The walled vineyard is the heart of this cuvee and the rest of the grapes come from long term contracts from bush pruned vines averaging 30 years of age, the farming is predominantly organic, and the grapes (100% Tempranillo) are harvested by hand into small crates to protect the grapes from bruising or breaking.
The wines are fermented in stainless steel with malolactic occurring in barrel then the juice sees 12 months in new, second and third year, French-oak
Bordeaux-style casks with a fine wood grain and medium toast followed by 5
months in 20,000-litre concrete vats for blending the wine before bottling. This wine, from the extraordinary 2016 vintage, was bottled in April, 2018 with no stabilization or filtration. Minimal intervention to be sure, and what a result.
As one piece we read about Ana Martin offered, “This is not a powerhouse wine, but a refined Tempranillo, with breeding and style that suit its castle upbringing.” Lovely black-cherry color, with an intense, complex nose with
aromas of dark fruits like ripe black plums, blueberries and blackcurrants, with some spice, balsamic nuances, cedar wood and anise coming through. Smooth, juicy mouth-feel with soft, enveloping tannins. Complex, well-balanced and elegant with a long, gentle finish and haunting aromatics.
We don’t know a lot about Ana, but this is one whale of a wine…silky, layered, tender, sleek, oozing with class. The traditional trappings of Reserva and Gran Reserva have no relevance here as this is a wine with more of an eye to a great Margaux for its inspiration. We had nothing quite like this, nor have we tasted anything quite as polished and engaging from this part of the world.