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Castillo Cuzcurrita Winery Guide

Cellar Tours Insight — Since 2003, Cellar Tours has planned private wine journeys through the world’s leading wine regions, pairing tailor-made itineraries with VIP winery visits, fine dining, and expert regional guidance.

Winery Overview

The remarkable Rioja wine estate Bodegas Castillo de Cuzcurrita in the small Riojan pueblo of Cuzcurrita has emerged as one of the new-wave benchmarks of the region. This historic property eschews local traditions in favor of a thoroughly modern and yet respectful approach to winemaking. Legendary oenologist Ana Martin Onzain, aided by the estate’s manager Juan Diez del Corral Ugarte, has shown the tremendous character and individualism that can be wrought from 100% Tempranillo-based wines. Unlike most of her neighbors, Ana Martin does not blend in other grape varieties into her wines, instead preferring to bring Tempranillo to its fullest and finest expression.

Castillo de Cuzcurrita is a contradiction in the region, a relatively new name in modern Rioja production that boasts a history dating back to the 14th century. The Suarez-Figeroa family built the medieval, fairy-tale castle that stands proudly today adjacent to the winery rose garden and vineyards between the 14th and 15th centuries. It then passed to the Velasco-Rojas family through marriage; subsequent generations kept control of the castle and its beautiful surroundings until the last century when it changed hands several times. However, in 1945 Castillo de Cuzcurrita caught the eye of the wealthy Sáinz de Incháustegui family, who quickly restored the then-dilapidated buildings and made the castle their stately home.

Today, Castillo de Cuzcurrita offers two splendid wines, preferring not to rely on the traditional Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva classification system. Of course, the regular bottling Senorio de Cuzcurrita is always superb, but aficionados know that the real excitement is found in the rarer Cerrado de Castillo. Produced from old bush vines inside the castle walls, it is as much a monument to the potential of old vine Tempranillo as it is to Rioja. The 2008 vintage is a case in point: remarkably profound and complex, a wine that seduces with its potent aromatics and concentrated, intense palate—a truly exceptional example of modern-day Rioja.

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Further Reading

Author

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James Lawrence

With a passion for food & drink that verges on the obsessive, wine writer James Lawrence has traveled the world in search of the perfect tipple. To date, nothing has surpassed the 1952 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rioja Reserva, tasted in the cobweb-filled cellars with owner María José. Meanwhile, James has been writing for a wide variety of publications for over 12 years, including Telegraph, Decanter, Harpers, The Drinks Business, and Wine Business International. He lives in South Wales and returns to his former university city, Bilbao, as much as possible.

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