2020 Marques de Riscal XR Rioja Reserva 750 ml

Rioja is a hotbed of excellent wine producers, from long-standing traditionalists making ageworthy reds to upstart iconoclasts pushing the boundaries. But of those producers, only one can say they sold the very first bottled Rioja wines. And only one can claim to have taken the top spot on the 2024 World’s Best Vineyards list. 

They’re both Marques de Riscal. 

Called “a vinous paradise” by Tim Atkin MW, the estate was founded in 1858, and they’re still a Rioja standard-bearer, known for their absurdly long-lived wines (their 1862 vintage was still turning heads in 2023). The XR bottling is a tribute to that distinguished history.

Historically, the estate’s cellar masters would write “XR” (Extra Reserva) on barrels that showed fascinating characteristics, distinct from the other barrels. This shorthand told the winemaker that there was something truly special in the barrel—and their 2020 XR is special indeed. 

A blend of Tempranillo and Graciano, it shows classic Rioja character: The wine is structurally sound, with red-fruit and spice aromas, a full body, sturdy tannins, and a balancing acidic lift. The juicy red- and black-fruit notes come layered with toasted oak and an earthy, spice-kissed finish—a tantalizing preview of the complexity the wine is bound to develop over the next decade-plus. 

Marques de Riscal’s vineyards reside on terraces of chalky clay soil, overlooking the Ebro River in Rioja Alavesa, the smallest and northernmost Rioja subregion. In the shadow of the asperous Sierra Cantabria mountains, Alavesa’s vineyards have higher elevations and a cooler climate than other places in Rioja, giving their wines bright acid and solid tannin structure. In the 2020 XR, that character comes adorned with beautiful depth, balance, and oak influence.