Excellens Cuvée Especial Crianza 2020
The most modern side of an essential Rioja winery
Do you have any questions?
Monday to Friday from 9am to 20pm
Excellens Cuvée Especial Crianza 2020 is the latest vintage of Marqués de Cáceres’s most modern Crianza – a different red that’s more fruit forward and less oaky, chiefly geared to the international market. The Tempranillo grapes that go into making this single-varietal come from an array of vines located in the Cenicero district, in Rioja Alta..
Consumption features
Serving temperature
General features
Type of wine
Region
Grape variety
100% Tempranillo
Type of barrel
New and semi-new medium-toast French and American oak barrels
Type of bottle
Burgundy
Barrel aging time
14 months
Capacity (cl)
75
General Information
Excellens Cuvée Especial Crianza 2020 is designed from a selection of Tempranillo vines that grow in the district of Cenicero (Rioja Alta) on different plots at an altitude of between 400 and 600 metres. The grapes were harvested by hand, plot by plot, to ensure optimum ripeness, and sorted on entering the winery. These top-quality ingredients bring out different nuances of the Tempranillo variety. The wine has gained complexity and great balance following 14 months in new and semi-new, medium-toast French and American oak barrels followed by at least 12 more months in the bottle.
Soon to complete half a century of existence, Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres has carved out a place among the leading Rioja brands. It’s one of the best-known Spanish wineries and has an outstanding international reputation (its wines are sold in more than 130 countries). It was founded in Cenicero in 1970 by Enrique Forner, from Valencia, who put into practice in Rioja everything he had learned at the French Château Camensac and Château Larose Trintaudon wineries.
There, in the heart of Bordeaux, this heir to a long tradition of winemaking – his grandfather and father established Vinícola Forner in 1920 – met the legendary winemaker Émile Peynaud, who helped lay down the guidelines for Marqués de Cáceres, then an innovative firm. The winery is currently run by the founder’s daughter, Cristina Forner, who played a key role in the firm’s international expansion. Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres is one of the most internationally renowned Rioja wineries and relies on the advice of one of the most famous wine consultants in the world, Frenchman Michel Rolland.
Excellens Cuvée Especial Crianza 2020 is a wine that’s suitable for vegans and comes from a year with very low yields, but of high quality.
Creators' opinion
Excellens Cuvée especial viste un color rubí intenso, con capa media alta. Expresión franca y rica donde se funden la fruta negra, un toque a regaliz y un agradable fondo balsámico. Su crianza en madera noble, principalmente francesa, se expresa con elegancia y profundidad revelando una gran distinción al paladar. Interpreta la plena expresión de una uva tempranillo cuidadosamente seleccionada a partir de viñedos de altitud y exposición diferentes, de ahí procede su amplitud y su fruta roja madura a la vez que viva en boca. El final de cata deja huella con recuerdos especiados (clavo y pimienta negra). Tanto su volumen como su deliciosa fruta y sus taninos untuosos reflejan el buen trabajo basado en procesos artesanales.
The winery
The origins of Marqués de Cáceres date back to the late 1960s, when the Valencian Enrique Forner decided to apply in Rioja the winemaking knowledge he had acquired in Bordeaux during his time at Château Camensac. To carry out his project, Forner sought the advice of the renowned oenologist Émile Peynaud.
The first measure taken by the Valencian was to convince the local grape growers from whom he purchased grapes that he only wanted healthy and ripe fruit. He then built a winery equipped with the most modern technology and revolutionized Rioja's winemaking tradition by implementing shorter aging periods than usual, using French oak barrels. Enrique Forner passed away in 2011, but today it is his daughter Cristina who, accompanied by a select group of professionals, keeps one of Spain's most prestigious Rioja wineries at the top.
In 2014, Marqués de Cáceres expanded its operations to the D.O. Rueda, acquiring 125 hectares of vineyards in La Seca and Serrada, planted with the verdejo and sauvignon blanc varieties. They also built a winery there. In 2019, they extended their reach to the D.O. Ribera del Duero, where they own the Finca La Capilla winery.