2019 Rioja Blanco, Gran Reserva, Capellania - 'Energy and light' (LG)
Direct, precise, fresh and elegant, with a vibrant palate and certain lightness.
Luis Gutiérrez, vinous.com
Marques de Murrieta, Rioja Gran Reserva Blanco, Capellania 2019
£330 per 6 bottle case in bond
Few categories have evolved as much as white Rioja. Once defined by long oxidative ageing, it now encompasses a broad spectrum of styles. Capellanía draws on the strengths of both tradition and modernity, occupying a particularly compelling middle ground. The fruit comes from a tiny six-hectare parcel of Viura on the historic Ygay estate, yielding a wine of remarkable restraint and refinement, where the oak serves only to frame the fruit rather than define it.
In the glass, the wine is alive with soft waxy green fruits, juicy greengage, hints of kiwi and lemon confit, all carried by a really gentle creaminess and a beautifully judged texture. There is a touch of smoky toast and a faint note of coconut on the finish, but these remain subtle accents rather than dominant themes. What impresses most is the transparency of the fruit. Rather than veering towards the oxidative style traditionally associated with long-aged white Rioja, Capellanía retains a lifted floral character and an almost mouthwatering freshness that allows the purity of Viura to shine through.
The 2019 vintage was harvested early, with naturally low yields and small berries delivering concentration without sacrificing balance. Fermentation took place in concrete before the wine spent 23 months in French oak and a further 13 months in concrete. Crucially, it did not undergo malolactic fermentation, helping to preserve the vibrant acidity that gives the wine such precision and length. The additional period in concrete appears to have brought a greater sense of harmony, softening the influence of oak and allowing the wine's energy and brightness to come to the fore. This is not a white Rioja that has been left to develop weighty oxidative notes after being forgotten in a barrel; rather, it is a wine that uses extended ageing to build texture and complexity while retaining freshness, poise and a striking sense of lift.
Luis Gutiérrez awarded the wine 95 points, describing it as ‘direct, precise, fresh and elegant, with a vibrant palate and certain lightness. It has energy and light.’ Interestingly, his note focuses almost entirely on the wine's architecture, precision and energy rather than specific flavour descriptors. Having tasted the wine, I can understand why. Its greatest achievement lies not in any single aroma or flavour, but in the balance it strikes between fruit, texture, freshness and oak.
Neither a modernist white Rioja nor a deliberately traditional oxidative rendition, Capellanía occupies a compelling middle ground. It combines the texture and complexity that come with extended élevage with the freshness, clarity and definition of a much younger wine. Cleverly made and deeply satisfying, it is a white Rioja of real sophistication that should drink beautifully over the next decade, and I love it.
Marques de Murrieta, Rioja Gran Reserva Blanco, Capellania 2019
£330 per 6 bottle case in bond
Please let us know of your interest.
Simon
simon.larkin@atlasfinewines.com