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2022 Miguel Merino "Quinta Cruz" Mazuelo Rioja

2022 Miguel Merino "Quinta Cruz" Mazuelo Rioja

96DC
96TA
94RP
$43.99

Fulfillment times vary, for estimated turnaround times

Availability by location

San Francisco: 19 | Hollywood: 9 | Culver City: 9 | Redwood City: 3

96

Decanter

Reviewed March 2025
Immediately inviting, this Mazuelo offers intense varietal characteristics with wild strawberries and mint aromas that opens to a silky, velvety palate with just the right amount of tannic lift. The texture is wonderfully appealing, with a touch of stony grip. Poised and refined, it is a unique take on a cooler zone of Rioja with this different variety. Grown on a steep, southeast-facing slope in Briones, Rioja Alta: a 1.2ha vineyard planted in 1986 on thin sandy-gravel soils topped by rounded pebbles. Fermented in a small stainless-steel tank, with malolactic fermentation in two 500L French oak barrels and one 1,300L concrete tank, where it remained for 12 months before bottling. (BW)

Professional Reviews

96

Tim Atkin

Review Date: 02/2025
More structured than some recent vintages of Migeuel Merino's outstanding red - more Mazuelo-like perhaps -this outstanding red hails from a 1.4-hectare parcel that was planted in 1986. Plum, bramble and damson flavours are supported by muscular tannins, negligible oak and impressive underlying focus and concentration. 2026-34

94

Wine Advocate

Review Date: 02/2025
Cariñena/Mazuelo is a Mediterranean grape that likes heat—it needs it! And there was plenty of heat in 2022. The 2022 La Quinta Cruz Mazuelo shows the rustic/elegant character of the grape, combining notions of tree bark with floral aromas, an earthy touch and a medium-bodied palate with fine tannins and great freshness. And the parameters look good: 13.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.4 and 5.3 grams of acidity. It matured for 12 months in used 500-liter barrels and concrete. (LG)

Notes

La Quinta Cruz is a single vineyard planted in 1986 on the southeast slope of a hill very close to the Ebro River. Only 1.2 hectares in size, the vineyard is comprised of 100% Mazuelo (Carignan), which is also what this wine is made of – highly unusual in Rioja, where Mazuelo is generally considered to be a minor blending grape prized for its high acidity and firm structure. The wine is aged in 500L used French oak barrels and concrete, so there is no overt influence from new oak. In a warm year like 2022, the Mazuelo has retained an impressive amount of freshness and vibrancy. A very unique and delicious exploration into the more unusual side of Rioja, this is one to snatch up while still available.

Details

OriginRioja, Spain
Type/VarietalCarignane
Alcohol Content12.5%
SKU1952863