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“The crianza is our bestselling wine,” says
THE 2005 VINTAGE OF MARQUES DE
Anne Vallejo, PR director, “it’s such a pillar of our
portfolio that we often forget how good it really
CACERES CRIANZA
is.” In fact the crianza represents 60% of the total
sales of Marqués de Cáceres, ie 6 million bottles, A wet autumn and dry winter led on to
and is the top-selling wine in Spain and in the abundant snowfalls in January, February and
115 markets to which the company export. And March. The vines budded during the second
this is the wine upon which Marqués de Cáceres fortnight of April with good quantities of grapes.
has built its reputation. “Stylistically, we have May was a dry month with good temperatures
always concentrated on fruit character in our alternating from cool to warm and the vines
wines – and the crianza is no exception. Even flowered early in June after which temperatures
when the fashion in Rioja was all about oak. were unusually high causing coulure and
But,” she continues, “the key factor is that we fluctuation in the amount of grapes on the vine.
have never been afraid to go the extra mile when This resulted in smaller-sized berries and less
it comes to quality and expect the customer to compact bunches, favouring maturation.
appreciate why they might have to pay a little Rainfall during the summer was well below
more for it. That’s why we put vendimia average and this limited the size of the harvest,
seleccionada – or selected harvest – on the label, in which the grapes ripened earlier than usual
because we are very particular about the grapes due to the very dry summer and mild
we use for the blend.” And the newly released temperatures. The crianza was aged in oak for
2005 is a particularly good example of why this between 12 and 14 months depending upon
wine is so popular. when the wine was ready for release.
“In fact the crianza is such an easy-drinking,
well made wine,” explains Vallejo, “that it is the
number one seller in the famous Calle del Laurel
in Logroño, where Riojans meet to eat, drink,
talk and joke – an institution. Our crianza is just
as much part of that institution, poured in every
tapas bar on the strip.”
Moving up the quality scale Marqués de
Cáceres becomes more and more particular
about the way the grapes are selected from
individual parcels across the diverse array of
vineyard sites around the area in and around
Cenicero. Only 8% of the company’s red wines,
selected from the very best of parcels, are set
aside for the making of its reserva, gran reserva
and icon wines. Cristina Forner, president of the
family winery, believes that the wines give the
FOR MARQUÉS de Cáceres the production of consumer a sample of what her family put into market they are at their optimum moment of
its red wines is a passion – no less of a passion their wines. “Our experience, our passion for consumption. “The oak regime that we employ
than they have for the whites and rosés they wine and our exacting standards – when it is key to the quality and harmony of the red
produce, but given the painstaking selection, the comes to producing the best wines possible. wines,” reveals Forner. “We only use the very
careful ageing in French oak and in the bottle “What we look for in our red wines is elegance best new French oak. This kind of attention to
before release onto the market, they regard the and complexity that reflect the diversity of the detail is what has helped us to establish our
reds as that bit more exceptional. vineyards from which we source the grapes. The reputation for quality over the past 30 or so
The range of reds is broad, from the accessible selection process starts in the vineyard. The years, since we first released our wines onto the
and extremely popular crianza to the rich, terroir is just as important as the work of our market. Our tradition for honesty and our
elegant reserva, and then to the more viticultural and vinification teams.” determination to produce the very best wines
eclectic, avant-garde style of the MC The reserva and gran reserva wines are always possible is what makes the consumer return time
and Gaudium, the Marqués de Cáceres harvested by hand, parcel by parcel, in order to and time again to our wines. We are always
winemaking team is scrupulous in the attention get the maximum expression of personality and looking to improve the quality of our wines in
it pays to each of the wines and their very character. The wines are then aged in bottle in order to gain the confidence of the trade and
individual style. order that when they are released onto the consumer alike.” db
Log onto www.wineinnovation.co.uk to find out
more about The Wine Innovation Awards 2009
75
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