2017 Bodegas Casa Primicia Julian Madrid Rioja Reserva 750 ml

We weren’t worried, per se, but we weren’t quiiiiiite sure we could find our way back out of the tunnels.

Our host for the tour of Casa Primicia’s extensive passages had disappeared around a corner, though which one was the cause of some disagreement. That left us to ponder the possibility of spending the rest of our lives in Primicia’s vaulted medieval tunnels, which boast a half-millennium of human history—and are now one of the most impressive cellars in the world.

Thankfully, he returned before things got too bleak, bearing a sample from one of the multitude of casks that lined the walls. We’d been at it for an hour—each taste better than the last—and we knew we had to get these wines into the States.

We’re now able to offer Casa Primicia’s 2017 Julián Madrid Reserva, a 94-point powerhouse from a low-yielding but excellent vintage. 

This is a signature wine for the estate. Named after patriarch Julián Madrid, it is their “Reserva de Familia” and it draws on their famed Carravalseca Vineyard. This jewel of Rioja Alavesa, set on the shores of a natural lagoon, produces intensely concentrated wines that are a hallmark of the best sites in the region.

Once the organically farmed grapes get hand-harvested and field-sorted into small crates, they’re cold-soaked to draw out all the Tempranillo’s rich fruit without extracting excess tannins. After fermentation, the wine is given a spare-no-expense 20 months in top-of-the-line French oak barrels before aging further in bottle.

This is a bold, expertly crafted red that belongs in the company of some of Spain’s most serious bottles.