A few days ago, Marqués de Riscal organised a press lunch to unveil its ambitious new global marketing campaign. The campaign is being driven by a new team led by Ricardo Diéguez Jiménez de la Espada, a senior executive with extensive experience in the L'Oréal Group and three years in the wine industry with García Carrión Group.
He was joined by winemaker Luis Hurtado de Amézaga, who has a long-standing track record at the helm of the group's winery in Rueda and has become increasingly involved in Rioja. This year, he is taking over the reins from his father, Francisco 'Paco' Hurtado de Amézaga.
The advertising campaign seeks to capitalise on the 'Best Vineyard in the World 2024' award, a distinction that recognises wineries promoting wine culture and offering unforgettable experiences to visitors, rather than simply celebrating vineyards as the name might suggest. To this end, Riscal has revived some of its most groundbreaking milestones since its foundation in 1858 under the slogan 'Risk All', a play on the brand name Riscal. Below are the first ads, featuring handmade illustrations by Isidro Ferrer, winner of the 2002 National Design Award and the 2006 National Illustration Award.
The event highlighted three wines: Finca Montico Verdejo from Rueda and two 2020 Rioja reds: XR, a contemporary take on the classic Reserva aimed at the on-trade, and the super-premium Barón de Chirel.
Finca Montico deserves a special mention —not just because it is well-suited to the warmer season, but also because it comes at a good moment for the brand. Following the decision to stop producing the white Baron de Chirel in Rueda, the premium range is now streamlined to just two wines, both labelled Gran Vino de Rueda: the oak-aged Limousin, sourced from old vines, and the single-vineyard Verdejo Montico, which has a refined, redesigned label since the 2021 vintage.
The Montico vineyard lies in La Seca on distinctive sandy, gravelly terraces shaped by the Duero River. The goblet-trained vines were planted with cuttings from Ángel Rodríguez Vidal, a long-standing supplier whose Martínsancho white is still produced by Riscal. According to Luis Hurtado de Amézaga, “the plant material can contribute more to defining the wines than the terroir or the rootstock.” Another key factor for him is organic farming, which he equates with soil vitality. Montico has been certified organic since the 2016 vintage.
The winemaking process is designed to express Verdejo's most authentic character using natural yeasts, lees stirring in stainless steel tanks, and adding a small amount of oak-aged wine. The pressing is carried out with whole bunches, but contact between must and skins is minimised to avoid extracting herbaceous notes that could result in excessive bitterness.
The 2023 vintage stands out for its balance and texture. It is juicy and savoury, with a long finish reminiscent of dry stones. The aroma evolves from white to stone fruits, alongside white flowers, fennel and dried herbs. This is the kind of white wine that makes you appreciate Verdejo a truly great variety.
13% abv.
20,000 bottles
€16
Score: 93
Author
Amaya Cervera
A wine journalist with almost 30 years' experience, she is the founder of the award-winning Spanish Wine Lover website. In 2023, she won the National Gastronomy Award for Gastronomic Communication
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