Excellens Especial
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 3 to 10 years from the vintage release, offering a beautiful balance of youthful fruit and emerging tertiary complexity.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Grilled lamb chops with Mediterranean herbs, roasted duck breast, and cured Spanish meats like Jamón Ibérico.
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Marqués de Cáceres was founded in 1970 by Enrique Forner, who revolutionized Rioja winemaking by introducing Bordeaux-style techniques learned during his family's exile in France, aided by the legendary enologist Émile Peynaud. The 'Excellens Especial' is a modern, gastronomy-focused expression of Rioja Alta, crafted predominantly from old-vine Tempranillo grown in the clay-limestone soils around Cenicero. Unlike traditional Riojas aged heavily in American oak, this cuvée is aged in fine French oak barrels, which imparts a refined structure, subtle spice, and velvety tannins while preserving the vibrant, lush red fruit character of the grape.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1970 by Enrique Forner in the historic town of Cenicero within Rioja Alta, Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres revolutionized the Rioja region by introducing Bordeaux-style winemaking techniques, including temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation and a greater emphasis on fruit purity over excessive oak aging. Today, under the leadership of Cristina Forner, the family-owned estate has expanded its footprint beyond Rioja to Galicia, Rueda, and Ribera del Duero, crafting a diverse portfolio of elegant, expressive wines. The winery is globally renowned for its classic Tempranillo-dominated reds—ranging from the vibrant Tinto Crianza to the prestigious, old-vine Gaudium and Gran Reserva—as well as crisp, barrel-fermented whites like Antea and refreshing rosés.