The Marques de Murrieta estate is one of Spain’s great wine-producing properties, with iconic wines dating back to the earliest days of Rioja’s greatness. Their Reserva bottling is their main wine, and it is always an exercise in polish and sophistication. Spot-on flavors for Rioja, with dark cherry, mulberry, allspice, and a touch of savory smoked meat. Never tannic, always medium-bodied, this shares many Burgundian qualities, in the sense that the wine is not big and heavy, but it is strong, persistent, and yet lovely.