Marqués de Cáseres
Rioja Reserva 2001
Majestic £19.99

Rioja was once the only Spanish table wine we British knew of, and always it was red. More and more we are getting their whites too, and wines from other parts of Spain – particularly cheaper bottles, and much fizzy Cava – but red Riojas are still the mainstay of most reputable lists.

We start with an unusual Rioja, from Laithwaites. Order online or from one of their handful of shops, which circle London to the South and West.

What is distinctive about this Rioja is that it is made entirely from the Mazuelo grape, a black variety which is usually used in blends with Rioja’s mainstay grape, Tempranillo.

Carravacas is the winery, and the grapes only come from neighbouring vines. The price is reasonable, Bodegas Primicia has won many awards, and 2005 is a vintage year which has achieved the highest ratings in La Rioja.

Nevertheless it was with caution that I approached the Mazuelo. Riojas like time to breathe, and this grape has a reputation for robustness – another word for thick, chewy toughness. Oak is characteristic of most Riojas, unless the bottle says sin crianza, ‘without oak’. Yet while Laithwaites says this is oak-aged, it has none of the usual ‘time in cask’ notes on the label. Interesting, that – and I’d speculate that the wine-maker is adding to the growing list of new-style Spanish wines that are released with very little ageing.

At first sip – a surprise: it was immediately accessible, enjoyable, rather delicately fruity, the nose very slight, good balance, and vanilla notes on the finish. But a warning: it needs to be drunk up soon after opening. Four hours later, strong tannic and acidic notes were coming through which I did not like.
That could not be said about the splendid Marqués de Cáseres, a Reserva – signifying three calendar years of ageing. A very good year too, 2001. It’s a blend: 85 per cent Tempranillo; 15 per cent Grenache and Graciano, which is mostly used in the Rioja region.

The surprising thing here too is that it only needed five minutes to begin to open up, and the rich notes, cedar and spice came out quickly on the nose. On the palate, first some fruit, then smooth velvet drinking, the French oak very subtle, ending on a fine finish.

Its lasting qualities were apparent some 36 hours later. Brought out after time in the fridge, left for some hours to get back to room temperature, at first sip the tannins had become too prominent, but pouring it back and forth into a decanter got it breathing again. Obligingly, it woke up, regaining its former elegance: a true Grandee of Spain.

Graham Gendall Norton