Marques del Silvo Rioja GRAN Reserva 14

Marquis del Silvo is a private label project I sourced from one of my favorite European connections — the wife and husband team of Eva López and Ignacio Alonso. They have excellent relationships with top estates and vignerons throughout Spain, and their wines are always standout customer and staff favorites in our Spanish department. Since I source these directly through my buddy importer Craig Baker, it eliminates a lot of "nickels" tacked on by middlemen. This way, I can offer them to email subscribers and locals at the best price!

 

The Marques del Silvo Gran Reserva is a powerful, complex, and elegant expression of Tempranillo. The grapes for this Gran Reserva are sourced from the estate's best vineyards, from vines at least seventy years old. Thirty months of aging in French and American oak and extended aging in bottle before release provides the perfect counterpoint to the lush fruit. 

 

In your glass, notes of blackberries, red licorice, and roasted herbs introduce the silky, concentrated fruit. Flavors of black cherry, blackberry, balsamic, dusty cocoa, and savory herbs treat the palate through the long, spicy finish. 

 

The Marquis del Silvo Gran Reserva is a superbly elegant red, and I think the estate made the right decision to age this wine in a more significant percentage of French oak. Backing off a tad on the American oak allowed the gorgeous old-vine fruit to shine in its full glory!