Martinez Lacuesta, Gran Reserva Especial, Rioja, Spain, 1958

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Overview of the Wine
In the late 19th century, Haro had a railway station, street lighting, vineyards in the surrounding countryside, wine in its homes and a building that housed the Bank of Spain. All of this made it a focal point for the French wine makers whose vines had been decimated by powdery mildew and phylloxera but who nonetheless had lost none of their commercial skills. Thus the history of Rioja wines as we know them to day began to be written. As these first words were being written, the Martínez Lacuesta family was right there.

More than simply a building, a winery represents a journey through the past, the history of the wines and the brands that have been produced there. The point that we have arrived at, all that we see today, isn’t only an insight into current techniques but rather evidence of the path we have taken to get here. A path that represents evolution. The French influence can be seen in the first wines produced by the winery in Calle de la Vega. In the style of the intensely coloured, “open” wines from France such as its Clarets, Martínez Lacuesta produced its Clarete Selecto (generally a young wine from that year’s harvest) and its Claretes Finos, which had spent two, three and four years in the barrel. These were preludes to the current Crianzas and Reservas were sold in either casks or bottles which, from the third year onward featured hand-crafted wire mesh.

Other wines “in the French style” were produced, such as the Superior Estilo Borgoña and the semi-sweet Sauternes. Nevertheless, Riojas in general and the Martínez Lacuesta family in particular, were realising that the personality of the region’s wines should forge a different path.

Grape / Blend
Tempranillo

Origin
Rioja, Spain

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
There is an intensity to the red fruited flavors here, which are still incredibly fresh, with lovely chalk tones and an orange quality as well - textbook aged Rioja. Silky smooth, with a great core of sweet fruit and even some length yet. Somewhat confusingly, the back label states "vino de crianza," though it should be noted that Rioja labeling laws were far from clear in this era, and many wines labeled as Crianzas were aged longer than most Reservas are today.

Product size: 750ml