Winery: Marques de Vargas

Country / Region: Spain, Rioja Alta, DOCa Rioja

Date Winery was established: 1989

Grape Variety: Tempranillo 80%, Mazuelo 15%, Garnacha 5%

Alcohol Content / Volume: 14% / 750ml

First Vintage Released: 1991

Ratings: 93 pts. Tim Atkin

Decanting Time: open and decant for half hour to one hours. Best serve at 18 ºC.

Our suggestion for decanting time is based on bottles we tried at Txanton over 2024. We guarantee Txanton stocks are imported and maintained on a proper storage with right temperature and humidity.

Good to know: This is the flagship Rioja wine of Marqués de Vargas. French oak barrels for 18 months and aged in the bottle for at least 12 months. Red cherry color, clean and bright. Fruity and floral aromas such as red plum, dark cherry and violet are occupied but a hint of balsamic note is adding a complexity. On the palate it has a great fruit concentration, having a balance between fresh acidity and soft tannins. The finish is long and the wine shows a good ageing potential for 5-7 years.

Marqués de Vargas means referring to Rioja, since the Marquisate of Vargas is held by a family that has close ties to this acclaimed Spanish wine-making region. This winery was founded following the “French Château” concept, with the philosophy of producing Reserva and Gran Reserva, exclusively made of grapes from the family´s vineyards at Rioja Alta. The current property's subdivision is the result of the in-depth parametric cartography lead by a team which is composed by “terroir”-focused wine experts: Ana Barrón (winemaker), Xavier Ausás (wine consultant and former wine maker from Vega Sicilia) and David Pernet (cartographer and founder of SOVIVINS in Bordeaux).

Wines are crafted in the property following sustainable agricultural practices and aged in high quality oak barrels from selected coopers. The Vargas family only produces fine red wines with great ageing potential. Recently, some of our wines have received the prominent distinction of “Viñedo Singular”, by the Rioja Control Board due to the extraordinary characteristics of their plots, their uniqueness and their distinctive production process, claiming full respect for the traditional techniques and “terroir”.