Panel tasting: Rioja gran reserva 61 wines tasted

It sets a global benchmark for wines aged in barrel, and shows that Tempranillo is very capable of developing over time. Sarah Jane Evans MW explains what lies behind Rioja’s most long-lived reds

The ‘gran’ in gran reserva could be said to have made Rioja great. It built the image of venerable elegance, of the refined interplay of oak with an autumnal palate of mellow fruitfulness. Despite this, there is a remarkably small proportion of gran reserva produced (see fact box).

Rioja is the model of gran reservas. Producers worldwide use the term, but Rioja’s is the most clearly regulated. Red Rioja gran reservas are defined as ‘wines of great vintages that have been painstakingly aged for a total of 60 months [five years] with at least two years in oak barrels [of 225 litres] and two years in bottle’.

Note that although the qualification for being a gran reserva is age, the Rioja consejo regulador requires the wine to have been produced in a ‘great vintage’. Nevertheless, this definition does not mean that wines are all similar in style.

The ageing requirements, for instance, are a minimum. At the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 judging we tasted young gran reservas that only just qualified for the category. They were vivid characters, with firm tannins and bright acidity.

Talk to the producers of these styles and they explain that they are designed to appeal to a different audience. While being gran reservas, they are intended to bring new consumers in: ones looking for fruit-forward styles.

Wood works

Within the category there are also differences over winemaking. Mature Rioja is regarded as synonymous with the vanilla-and-coconut tones of American oak. However, French oak is widespread. The modern classic from Remírez de Ganuza is a case in point, using new French oak. Muga works with both French and American oak across its portfolio, commenting that American oak comes into its own with the longer ageing typical of gran reservas when it has lost its earlier rusticity. As for varieties, blends were traditional, but many producers today are using 100% Tempranillo.

What unites the best of these wines, however, is a remarkable capacity to age. While it’s true that the great advantage for consumers is that gran reservas are released ‘ready to drink’, they do go on improving. With the great ones, come back in 20 years, 40 years and more, and you will be charmed.

Marqués de Murrieta’s Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial (a blend of French and American oak) and the López de Heredia may be the most famous, but there are plenty more to enjoy.