Gaudium
⏳ Drinking Window
2025 - 2038
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Slow-roasted milk-fed lamb, grilled prime ribeye steak, and mature sheep's milk cheeses such as Manchego.
✨ Technical Specifications
Marques de Caceres, founded in 1970 by Enrique Forner with the guidance of legendary Bordeaux enologist Emile Peynaud, played a pivotal role in modernizing Rioja winemaking. Gaudium, which translates from Latin as joy or delight, represents the estate's ultra-premium modern expression. Sourced from select, low-yielding parcels of ancient bush vines—some over 70 years old—in the cool-climate zones of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, this wine is predominantly Tempranillo with a small addition of Graciano. The old vines impart intense concentration and mineral depth. Unlike traditional Riojas aged in American oak, Gaudium is aged in new French oak barrels for 18 to 20 months, followed by extensive bottle aging. This creates a wine of profound complexity, featuring dark berry fruit, refined tannins, and elegant spice.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1970 by Enrique Forner in Cenicero, Marqués de Cáceres spearheaded the modern renaissance of Rioja. Drawing on his experience revitalizing Bordeaux estates like Château Camensac, Forner enlisted legendary oenologist Émile Peynaud to introduce temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation and French oak barriques, shifting focus toward vibrant fruit character rather than oxidation. Today directed by Enrique's daughter, Cristina Forner, the house collaborates closely with multi-generational growers across Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, cultivating primarily Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Graciano across calcareous clay and alluvial terraces sheltered by the Sierra de Cantabria. Beyond benchmark oak-matured Rioja expressions—such as Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva, and the flagship cuvée Gaudium—the estate has strategically broadened its footprint. Its repertoire now includes crisp Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc from Rueda, Deusa Nai Albariño from Rías Baixas, and method traditional Cava, all maintaining the firm’s hallmark of meticulous quality, freshness, and structural finesse.
🍇 Grapes
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo