2016 Marques de Murrieta ‘Capellanía’ White Reserva DO

JS95 A white with pretty vanilla, toasted-wood, cooked-apple and lemon character. Medium to full body, creamy texture and a flavorful finish. One of the benchmark whites for Rioja. 16 months in French oak and so balanced. Drink or hold.
WA94 I was really looking forward to the 2016 Capellanía, the white that inherited the tradition of long aging in barrel that used to be the norm in Rioja until the 1980s. It’s structured, and they strive for aging potential while keeping some of the varietal character. It comes from a plot on the Ygay property that gives the wine its name; it’s their highest plot at 485 meters in altitude. The grapes were picked the 3rd and 4th of October from the six hectares, and the must from pressing the clusters fermented at 10 degrees Celsius in stainless steel. And without going through malolactic, the wine was put in mostly new oak barrels, where it matured for 16 months, and then it was kept in concrete until bottling. It has 13.5% alcohol and very good freshness and acidity, and it comes through as very dry. The wine is still quite oaky, but I consider this a wine for the medium and long term (I’m still waiting for my 2004s!); but after a couple of hours in the glass, it felt a lot more harmonious. The palate is textured, rich and serious, with a chalky sensation and a long, dry and tasty, almost salty finish. This should make a nice bottle of aged white Rioja.