BODEGAS DE LA MARQUESA VALSERRANO
RIOJA, SPAIN 2018
WHY BUY: A 95-point, single-vineyard Rioja with 7 years in barrel from the family-owned, limited-production Valserrano for $33 per bottle? Believe it. And we've also secured their Gran Reserva, also from 2018, for $32 per bottle. Folks, these are powerful, structured wines with loads of length — the kind you dream of being able to find for prices like this. Order your cases today.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Decanter adored both wines. It called the 95-point El Ribazo "seductively inviting," with "ripe tannins and a juicy finish" that's "elegant on the palate, presenting fresh fruit from possibly a cooler zone of Rioja.” Its final line is a perfect thumbnail portrait of the drinking experience: “a serious wine with a lot of immediate appeal." The Gran Reserva, meanwhile, is a "beautiful” Rioja with "superb integration of both wood and alcohol, with a spicy veil carrying the wine through to its long finish. A wine with energy, verve and great ageing potential."
OUR TASTING NOTES:
* The El Ribazo is a terrific example of modern Rioja. It’s a wine of tremendous depth, but it’s also eminently accessible. Its power doesn’t obscure its elegance. Made with single-vineyard fruit from an 11-hectare plot of 35-year-old Tempranillo vines, it delivers the kind of immediate pleasure most serious wines make you wait years to experience. We loved the interplay between cassis and cherry fruit, with, just beneath these notes, those liquorice undertones that characterize the best Tempranillo. Meantime, the French and American oak aging adds layers of toffee and vanilla without overdoing it and obscuring the marvelous fruit.
* The Gran Reserva takes a more traditional approach, closer in spirit to throwback Rioja. The experience unfolds slowly in the glass, revealing a seamless marriage between fruit, oak, and alcohol that is exceedingly hard to pull off. As the wine breathes and opens up, you’ll pick up on a warm, spicy backbone that runs through everything and gives the wine its gravitas and character. The finish is a thing of beauty, stretching out with the kind of authority that you get with long, careful aging.
THE STORY: What happens when French wine refugees meet Spanish entrepreneurial spirit? Magic, or, okay — at least really, really good Rioja. Back in the 19th century, when phylloxera was busy destroying French vineyards, a bunch of desperate négociants fled south looking for alternatives to their devastated homeland. Francisco Javier Solano y Eulate, Marquis of Solana, had the brilliant idea to listen when French winemaker Jean Pinaud suggested he try making Médoc-style wines in his Rioja vineyards. As it turned out, the limestone ridges of Alavesa proved the optimal patch of land. Five generations later, the same family is still running the show. Juan Pablo de Simón took over in the 1980s, and has spent the last two decades proving that family operations can actually get better with time rather than sliding into complacency and mediocrity. They're obsessively local (only using fruit from their own 70 hectares), maintain strict, rigorous standards, and — in the most telling indicator of their commitment to greatness — produce just 400,000 bottles annually. In an era when most wineries get bought by corporations and promptly lose their souls, Valserrano continues to be itself. Which is to say: stubbornly, gloriously independent.
WHAT TO PAIR THEM WITH: The El Ribazo is going to show out with a slow-grilled lamb or a char-grilled porterhouse, while the Gran Reserva is practically begging for something slow-braised (a hunk of rich, marbled beef with mushrooms and herbs, a stew of white beans and sausage).
FUN FACT: The winery's name "De la Marquesa" (of the Marchioness) is what locals in Villabuena have called the property for generations, long before it became the official name. Quite literally, a case of a people speaking a brand into existence.
OUR GUARANTEE: As always, we only buy and source directly from the estate to ensure that your wines arrive with pristine provenance. These are everyday luxury wines at extraordinary prices — secure your bottles and cases today!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Spring 2026. With the supply chain issues that we are seeing globally, there may be some unforeseen delays which could affect the ETA. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in CT, KS, MI, NE, NY, OK & TN. This offer will expire on Wednesday, December 17th, 2025.